In this week’s episode, Mark and Alba discuss some useful techniques for learning languages and share their ideas and advice with listeners. In the intermedio Alba talks about the northern Spanish city of Bilbao, and José introduces a construction which involves lo + adjective. Grammar points covered include the construction siempre que and the use of the subjunctive after para que . Please note that lesson 19 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 319 of Coffee Break Spanish. W...
Aug 09, 2011•28 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 18 of Coffee Break Spanish Season 3, Mark and Alba talk about the advantages and disadvantages of buying things online, and share their experience, both positive and negative. In this week’s intermedio , Alba presents the city of Granada in the south of Spain, and José talks about ways to describe someone whose head is always in the clouds. Grammar points covered include the personal a , present subjunctive, double negatives, and the expression dar ganas a alguien . Please note that l...
Aug 05, 2011•24 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is dedicated to all fans of the imperfect subjunctive… and to those of you who are terrified of it! After listening to Mark and Alba’s discussion about all things hypothetical, you’ll be 100% confident in using the Spanish imperfect subjunctive. In addition, Alba talks about her favourite parts of Madrid, and José introduces some ways to express surprise in the intermedio . Please note that lesson 17 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 317 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have ren...
Aug 02, 2011•23 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 16 features a conversation between Alba and Mark about what they’ve been doing since they last saw each other. Grammar points covered include possessive pronouns, and uses of the subjunctive. This week’s intermedio features a presentation of Barcelona from Alba, and José looks at some more interesting ways of talking about going out for a drink or for something to eat. Please note that lesson 16 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 316 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbe...
Jul 29, 2011•25 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 15 features the third installment of our ‘telenovela’, Verano Español . Find out the latest about the life of Laura and her mother as they spend the summer in Spain en la casa de tía Julia . How will Laura cope on her first day in her new job at the panadería ? Please note that lesson 15 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 315 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners. This season of Cof...
Jul 26, 2011•29 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 14, Mark and Alba are joined by David, el novio de Alba . Topics discussed include Galicia (the region of Spain where David is from), St Valentine’s day, romantic Spanish and the imperfect subjunctive. In this week’s intermedio , Alba talks about the film Diarios de Motocicleta , and José introduces some different ways to express disbelief. Please note that lesson 14 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 314 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season a...
Jul 22, 2011•28 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 13, Mark and Alba discuss social networks including Facebook and Twitter and their value for language-learning. In addition, in this week’s intermedio , José discusses effective ways to say you’ve had enough of something, and Alba talks about the film Habana Blues . Grammar points discussed inlude subjunctive after el hecho de que, preferir que and the imperative in the vosotros form. Please note that lesson 13 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 313 of Coffee Break Spanish. We...
Jul 19, 2011•26 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 12, Mark and Alba get all poetic as they celebrate the 250th anniversary of el poeta nacional de Escocia , Robert Burns. Alba learns some Scots and in return she teaches Mark a poem by Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. The intermedio includes a review of the film Secretos del Corazón , and José introduces some interesting ways to convey the concept of 'to fancy doing something'. Language points covered include how to translate “to realise” and the construction estar a punto de + in...
Jul 15, 2011•25 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 11, Mark and Alba talk about the holidays and about their New Year’s Resolutions. Alba presents a review of the film La Lengua de las Mariposas in the intermedio , and José’s topic of the week is paying compliments to people. Grammar points covered include the use of sí que for emphasis, and talking about how long you did things for in the past using both durante and a more simple preterite tense. Please note that lesson 11 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 311 of Coffee Brea...
Jul 12, 2011•25 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast It’s time for our second installment of the Coffee Break Spanish telenovela, Verano Español . Laura and her mother have just arrived in Spain to spend the summer in the house they’ve recently inherited from tía Julia . In this episode we’ll meet some of their new neighbours and Laura makes a new friend. Please note that lesson 10 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 310 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our...
Jul 09, 2011•28 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast In this 9th episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 3, Mark and Alba discuss Christmas traditions in Spain. José introduces a couple of phrases which you can tell someone not to take something the wrong way in this week’s intermedio . Grammar points covered include al + infinitive, por and para , volver a hacer algo , and expressions which are followed by the subjunctive including antes de que, sin que and para que . Please note that lesson 09 of Season 3 was originally known as less...
Jul 05, 2011•25 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 8, Alba and Mark discuss smoking laws in different countries. Language points covered include the future perfect tense, eg. “I will have stopped smoking”, the use of soler , and the phrase pillar a alguien desprevenido . José’s intermedio covers two phrases which you can use to describe how well you speak Spanish. Please note that lesson 08 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 308 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make thin...
Jul 01, 2011•24 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast In this week’s episode, Mark and Alba talk about the different seasons of the year and about their own favourite times of year. This episode provides an opportunity for learners to learn to use the Spanish phrase o sea, and the combination of object pronouns is also covered. José’s intermedio introduces two ways to express surprise. Please note that lesson 07 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 307 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to m...
Jun 28, 2011•25 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 6 of Coffee Break Spanish Season 3, Mark and Alba discuss their recent visits to Edinburgh and will entertain you with some singing! José introduces two phrases to say that things are in a mess, and language points include the pluperfect tense and using double indirect pronouns, e.g. a mi madre le gusta la música . Please note that lesson 6 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 306 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make thin...
Jun 24, 2011•26 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast In episode 5 we launch our very own Spanish soap opera, Verano Español , which tells the story of Spanish dad, Antonio, Scottish mum Iona, and bilingual daughter Laura, and their adventures one summer in Spain. Each episode will provide you with listening practice, language study and information about the Spanish-speaking world. Please note that lesson 05 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 305 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make ...
Jun 21, 2011•25 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast In this fourth episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 3, Mark has just returned from a week in London and he discusses the advantages and disadvantages of living in a village, town or city with Alba. We also meet Laura from Verano Español , our forthcoming soap opera. In José’s intermedio he introduces two phrases which use the verb ponerse . Grammar points covered include the pluperfect tense, using the subjunctive and the use of the nosotros form of the present subjunctive to translate “let’s ...
Jun 17, 2011•25 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast This lesson was originally released in October, so in lesson 3 of Show Time Spanish, Alba tells Mark about a Halloween party she attended. They discuss the traditions of Halloween. In the intermedio José provides two alternative ways to say that you’re tired. Grammar points include reflexive verbs in different tenses, the subjunctive after quizás . Not the most seasonal of lessons, but lots of interesting Spanish! Please note that lesson 3 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 303 of C...
Jun 14, 2011•25 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast In our second episode of this series, Mark and Alba talk about languages and their own language skills. In the intermedio , José provides two phrases which can be used to tell someone that they are annoying you. Language points include progressive tenses using estar + gerund, and a particular use of the future tense. Please note that lesson 2 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 302 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more s...
Jun 10, 2011•22 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to this first episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 3! In this first episode of the series you’ll get to know our two main presenters, Mark and Alba, and you’ll also be meeting José who will help you to take your Spanish al siguiente nivel , “to the next level”. Please note that lesson 1 of Season 3 was originally known as lesson 301 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners. This season of Coffee ...
Jun 07, 2011•21 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast It’s the end of an era: the final episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 2. It’s time for las despedidas , the goodbyes. Andrew will be returning to England and bidding farewell to María-José, and Mark and Kara will also be saying hasta luego to the listeners of Coffee Break Spanish. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this final episode of our show. Please note that lesson 40 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 240 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as ...
May 02, 2011•19 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast It’s the penultimate episode of this season of Coffee Break Spanish and we continue to follow the adventures of María-José and Andrew as they come to the end of their time together in Spain. This week Andrew is signing up for his course in the ayuntamiento and needs to ask for some directions. We’ll here more examples of the subjunctive in use. Please note that lesson 39 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 239 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lesso...
Apr 25, 2011•19 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast This week María-José and Andrew discuss their plans for the following week when Andrew’s friend arrives in Spain and María-José will be attending a conference in Madrid. In this episode we introduce the concept of the subjunctive, something which often confuses language learners. You’ll learn how to use the subjunctive with cuando when it refers to the future, eg. “when I get back from Madrid…” – cuando vuelva de Madrid . Please note that lesson 38 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 238 ...
Apr 17, 2011•24 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode María-José tells Andrew about her visits to the Canary Islands. She uses lots of examples of the imperfect tense to describe what she used to do when she went there several times when she was younger. Please note that lesson 37 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 237 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners. This season of Coffee Break Spanish features a total of 40 lessons, all of w...
Apr 05, 2011•24 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast We’re returning to another episode featuring María-José and Andrew this week in which María-José will ask the question ¿Qué estás haciendo? , 'What are you doing?'. We’re focusing on the present continuous tense. Please note that lesson 36 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 236 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners. This season of Coffee Break Spanish features a total of 40 lessons, all of which...
Mar 04, 2011•19 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast We’re continuing our soap opera featuring María-José and Andrew and in this week’s episode Andrew needs some help with an assignment for his Spanish class. We’ll also be looking at the imperative – the command form – in this lesson. Please note that lesson 35 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 235 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners. This season of Coffee Break Spanish features a total of 40 l...
Feb 26, 2011•24 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast In lesson 34 we’re continuing our ‘soap opera’. This week María-José is taking her friend to a restaurant, so we’ll be revisiting the language we learned previously in the course. We’ll also take the opportunity to look at the conditional tense or ‘mood’. Please note that lesson 34 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 234 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners. This season of Coffee Break Spanish f...
Feb 15, 2011•19 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast In lesson 33 we continue to follow the story of Andrew and his Spanish friend María-José. In this episode we’ll be introducing the future tense and looking at how verbs are conjugated in the future. Once again, you’ll develop your knowledge and listening skills by listening to this conversation where language is used in context. Please note that lesson 33 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 233 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make ...
Feb 11, 2011•20 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Lesson 32 continues the story of Andrew and María-José and their blossoming friendship! María-José has been on vacation in France. The main topic of discussion in this lesson is the weather, using a variety of tenses. Once again, you’ll develop your knowledge and listening skills by listening to this conversation where language is used in context. Please note that lesson 32 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 232 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as le...
Jan 24, 2011•18 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to our Coffee Break Spanish listeners!. In lessons 31-40 you’ll be following a mini soap-opera featuring English student Andrew who is learning Spanish in Spain, and his new friend María-José, who’ll be getting to know him and helping him with his Spanish. This lesson will help you get to grips with hearing real Spanish in context. Please note that lesson 31 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 231 of Coffee Break Spanish. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lesso...
Jan 17, 2011•18 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast In lesson 30 of Coffee Break Spanish we’re dealing with one of the trickiest things to do in a foreign language: make telephone calls. When you can’t see the person to whom you are speaking, it makes things that bit more difficult! In this episode you’ll learn the standard phrases used when making phone calls and get some practice by listening to Mark and Kara. Again, this lesson uses previously learned language structures to create phrases in the language. Please note that lesson 30 of Season 2...
Dec 30, 2010•15 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast 
