Coffee Break Italian

Coffee Break Italian

How do you know if a noun is masculine or feminine in Italian?

Is there an easy way to know the gender of a noun in Italian? You probably already know from your experience with Italian that it is a language that has grammatical gender. Every noun in Italian is either masculine or feminine. Over time, you get to know what gender nouns are, the more you practise

Coffee Break Italian

How to apologise and ask for permission in Italian

“I’m sorry!” – a very common phrase in any conversation, but what is the best way to say sorry in Italian? There are many ways to say sorry, excuse yourself and ask for permission in Italian, and the one to choose will depend on the context. Not only is it useful to know what they

Coffee Break Italian

How to pronounce ‘gli’ in Italian

Have you ever found yourself tongue-tied when trying to pronounce the Italian sound gli? You’re not alone! Gli is considered one of the trickiest sounds to master in Italian, mainly because it’s not commonly found in many other languages. But there’s no need to worry, as there are some techniques that you can learn to help

Coffee Break Italian

How do you say “the” in Italian?

How do we translate “the” into Italian? There are, in fact, seven options, and it depends on the grammatical gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun. The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the

Coffee Break Italian

‘Avere’ expressions practice

There are many expressions in Italian that are used very often, but which you may have to think twice about before translating directly from English. If you want to say that you’re hungry, for example, it may take a while before it feels natural not to use the verb essere (“to be”). In this article

Coffee Break Italian

Useful expressions with ‘avere’

The verb avere was probably one of the first verbs you came across in Italian. Of course, its basic meaning is “to have”, but there are many useful everyday expressions that use avere in which the verb doesn’t translate as “to have”. The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify

Coffee Break Italian

How to say ‘can’ in Italian: potere, sapere, riuscire

Did you know that the English verb “can” can be translated into Italian in three different ways? Each of the three verbs brings its own twist to the concept of “can” – creating a painter’s palette of nuanced expressions! The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify

Coffee Break Italian

5 rules for when to use ‘a’ and ‘in’ in Italian

Going to a café can be a great opportunity to sit down and listen to one of our Coffee Break Italian podcasts with a nice cup of coffee or tea. In this article we’re talking about prepositions, so do you know which preposition you’d use in Italian to talk about going to a café or being

Coffee Break Italian

How to pronounce Italian double consonants

Italian is renowned for its smooth and lyrical sounds. One of the intriguing aspects of Italian pronunciation lies in its double consonants – or le doppie. In Italian, all consonants can be doubled (apart from the letter H). Even the double Q exists – soqquadro (“disarray”). The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series

Coffee Break Italian

Converse in Italian like a native: choosing ‘tu’ or ‘Lei’

When you speak Italian, formality is more than just a grammatical nuance – it’s a cultural code that reflects our relationships and social contexts. The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Francesca delve into the

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.40 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Tutto è bene, quel che finisce bene!

We’re here with the final episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In the last chapter of “Il tesoro di Montespelonca” Professor Doppi’s motives are revealed: will he keep the treasure to himself or will it share it with the children? You will be able to really put yourself to the test with some advanced

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.39 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Pericolo scampato!

We’re back with the penultimate episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this chapter of our story series “Il tesoro di Montespelonca” after making it to the cave, Alessandro and his friends decide to confront the person they believe is stealing the treasure hidden. Meanwhile, a terrible storm is flooding the cave. Will our

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.38 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Ma lui cosa fa qui?

Welcome back to a new episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and another instalment of our story series “Il tesoro di Montespelonca”! In this chapter, Alessandro shares with his friends what he has learned about le Torrette thanks to nonna Nina. Will they finally find the entrance to the legendary cave? Francesca and Mark

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.37 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | La leggenda delle Torrette.

We’re back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and another instalment of our story series “Il tesoro di Montespelonca“. After the events of the previous episode, Alessandro is still angry with his friends and decides to visit his nonna for lunch in hopes of finally getting to the bottom of the mystery!

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.36 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | D’ora in poi me la caverò da solo!

Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and a further instalment of our story series “Il tesoro di Montespelonca”! In this chapter Alessandro and his friends finally make it to Le Torrette but are disappointed to find only grass and thorn bushes when they arrive. The three friends disagree on their

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.35 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Chiediamo al professor Doppi!

We’re back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and our fifth instalment of “Il tesoro di Montespelonca“! In this part of the story Alessandro and his friends visit the village’s local historian, Professor Doppi, to find out more about the legend of the cave. He says that, according to some old documents,

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.34 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Bentornata a casa, Stella!

Welcome back to Coffee Break Italian Season 3. In episode 34 we are listening to the fourth segment of our story series ‘Il tesoro di Montespelonca‘! Alessandro and his three friends visit Nina, Alessandro’s Nonna, who tells them about the legend of an underground cave going through the mountain near her wheat fields. Allegedly, hens would sometimes disappear

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.33 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | La paura fa novanta

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we listen to the third instalment of our story series ‘Il tesoro di Montespelonca‘! In this part of the story the residents of Montespelonca gather for a dinner in the square followed by a night walk to enjoy the stars. Alessandro and his friends tell a

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.32 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Qualcosa di strano nell’aria

We’re back with a new episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and another instalment of our story series “Il tesoro di Montespelonca“! In this episode Alessandro is worried about his lost dog, Stella, and takes it upon himself to ask around the village for any information. He soon learns that someone has heard about

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 3.31 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Dov’è Stella?

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we are introducing our new story series ‘Il tesoro di Montespelonca’! Throughout the story we will put into practice all of the grammar and structures covered in the first 30 episodes of Season 3. It is set in Montespelonca, a lovely village in the centre of