Coffee Break Italian Level 1

Make your downtime your "do time" and learn Italian with Coffee Break Italian

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Are you planning a trip to Italy or Italian-speaking Switzerland? Do you want to impress your Italian-speaking colleagues? Or perhaps you have Italian-speaking friends or relatives. With Coffee Break Italian you'll learn to communicate in Italian and understand how the language works using our simple lessons, where and when it suits you.

What does the course contain?

In Level 1 of Coffee Break Italian, there are forty lessons which will help you develop a solid foundation in the language. In each lesson the team of teacher Mark, native speaker Francesca and learner Katie will guide you through a range of topics and you'll acquire a sound understanding of Italian.

Coffee Break Italian Level 1 is aimed at complete beginners, but through the forty lessons you'll build your confidence and you'll soon be able to use Italian confidently with native speakers.

How does it work?

Coffee Break Italian is like going for a coffee with your friend who happens to speak Italian and is helping you to learn in a relaxed, enjoyable way. Then add a solid structure and carefully constructed pedagogy which ensures that you progress through the lessons and build on previously-learned materials.

Coffee Break Italian is not a simple series of "listen and repeat" audio programmes: in each lesson Mark and Francesca explain how the language works, helping learner Katie - and you as the listener - to manipulate the language and use it in practical situations.




Your Instructor


The Coffee Break Italian Team
The Coffee Break Italian Team

The Coffee Break Italian team includes language teachers, native speakers and host learners, making your experience learning a language fun and enjoyable. You can be sure every course has been carefully written by experienced teachers to ensure you progress steadily through the lessons.


Each lesson contains:

Video lesson

Each video lesson is around 20 minutes in length and features the main learning content including dialogues in Italian, discussions about the language between Mark, Francesca and Katie, and tips on grammar and culture. Think of the video lessons as "synchronised flashcards" where you'll see the words and phrases being taught on the screen as you learn.

Audio lesson

We also provide an audio version of the lesson which you can download and listen to on the go. This will allow you to review the materials covered in each lesson to consolidate the language fully.

Lesson guide and transcript

There's a full set of lesson notes for each lesson with transcripts of any dialogues contained in the lesson and explanations of all grammar points and cultural information.

Bonus audio episode

Having listened to the main audio lesson and worked through the notes, it's now time to test what you've learned. The bonus audio content helps you test your understanding with review, translation challenges and bonus vocabulary.

Class Outline


  NEW: Access this course on Coffee Break TV
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  Lesson 3 - Saying where you are from
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  Lesson 5 - Introducing family members
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  Lesson 7 - Asking where things are
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  Lesson 9 - Dealing with the language
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  Lessons 1-10 Quiz
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  Lesson 11 - Ordering drinks in a café
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  Lesson 12 - Ordering in a restaurant
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  Lesson 13 - Eating in a restaurant
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  Lesson 15 - Numbers, days and months
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  Lesson 17 - Shopping for souvenirs
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  Lesson 18 - Understanding directions
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  Top-up lessons - translation challenges
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  Lessons 11-20 Quiz
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  Lesson 24 - The present tense and the alphabet
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  Lesson 25 - Using the phone in Italian
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  Lesson 26 - Talking more about yourself
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  Lesson 28 - Likes and dislikes about your work
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  Lesson 29 - Possessive and descriptive adjectives
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  Top-up lessons - translation challenges
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  Lessons 21-30 Quiz
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  Lesson 34 - Breakfast in the hotel
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  Lesson 35 - Conversation at breakfast about what to see and do
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  Lesson 37 - Asking for information at hotel reception
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  Lesson 38 - Seeking help at the pharmacy
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  Lessons 31-40 Quiz
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  We'd love to hear from you!
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Frequently Asked Questions


How long do I have access to the course?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
Can I download the materials for offline use?
We use streaming video for the video episodes in this course, but you can download the lesson guides and store them on your device for handy reference. You can also download the audio files so that you can listen on the go to review what you've learned in the videos.
What's the difference between the course and the free audio I can find on iTunes?
You can indeed find Coffee Break Italian audio lessons on iTunes, but this course provides much more! You'll get the updated video versions of the lessons, lesson notes and the bonus audio materials which have all been created to help you make faster progress with the lessons. In addition, some of our free audio lessons contain advertising, but the Coffee Break Italian Premium lessons never contain advertising.
Is there a free trial?
Absolutely! You'll see on the course curriculum above that the materials for lesson 1 are available to preview. Simply click on the "Preview" button for each of these lessons and you can get a feel for what is involved. If you'd like to see how far this course will take you, we'd be happy to send you the lesson notes for lesson 40 to help you see how much you'll learn. Just pop your name and email address in the box below.
 

Bonus Episodes and Paid Content are worth every penny!!!

I have been dabbling with many programs to find the best method for learning Italian: Duolingo, Memrise, Rocket Italian, Italian Pod 101, etc. - all which have value in their own way, but none can come close to what I have found in Coffee Break Italian! My Italian speaking friends cannot believe how fast I am picking up the language and I give all the credit to Mark, Francesca and Katie! The format is perfect. The listening component makes all the difference in the world -- to hear how it should be spoken. The podcast format is wonderful as I can listen and re-listen as much as I need in order to grasp the lesson for that episode. I finally bit the bullet and joined the Members version and I don't regret it for a single second! The written material and BONUS EPISODES are priceless! Thank you, Mark, Francesca and Katie! I feel like you have become like friends and I look forward to listening daily!

iTunes USA review by Parlo italiano in Boise

This is another fine language podcast series from Mark Pentleton and the team at Radio Lingua. Designed to appeal with 'coffee break' length lessons, regular reviews and quizzes and input from native speakers, the course is easy going and interesting. The free lessons are great but the premium lessons really get down to the nitty gritty of grammar and so forth. I'm really enjoying this course and would recommend it highly.

iTunes Canada review by ugargoyle

I could communicate with Italians after 30 lessons!

I studied with CBI for 8 months before my trip to Tuscany in March. I started by listening to the free episodes for a couple months and then upgraded to the members subscription and it was so worth it! I listened and watched the video versions several (3-5) times each and had a great foundation to try to talk to Italians once in Italy. Since I was driving from Milan to Florence, I really needed to be able to speak some Italian in case of emergencies. I was able to ask for what I needed and communicate that I was a learner when people responded. Almost every Italian I met was impressed that I could speak some Italian! Between the little English they knew, and my beginner Italian skills, I was able to make my way through the country with confidence. Thanks, Radio Lingua! I will continue with my lessons as the new ones come out and go back to Italy ASAP! Grazie!

iTunes USA review by radicalway

Accessible where and when you want to learn

Coffee Break Italian Level 1 is accessible where and when you want to learn. The course works on all devices and you can start learning on your phone, then continue later on your computer. When you purchase the premium version of our course you can download the audio and text files to take your learning with you.


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