Are you planning a trip to a German-speaking country? Do you want to impress your German-speaking colleagues? Or perhaps you have German-speaking friends or relatives. With Coffee Break German you'll learn to communicate in German and understand how the language works using our simple lessons, where and when it suits you.
What does the course contain?
There are forty lessons in total, representing over twenty hours of audio content and extensive lesson notes to help you get the most out of the course. In each lesson, native speaker Thomas guides learner Mark on his language-learning journey. Topics covered include all common travel situations and you'll learn to communicate effectively with native speakers to make friends, buy things, order food and drink, check into a hotel, cope with emergencies and lots more.
The course is aimed at complete beginners, but through the forty lessons of Level 1, you'll acquire a solid grounding in the language and you'll soon be able to use German confidently with native speakers from all over the German-speaking world.
How does it work?
Think of Coffee Break German like going for a coffee with your friend who happens to speak German and is helping you 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 German is not a simple series of "listen and repeat" audio programmes: in each lesson Thomas explains how the language works, helping Mark - and you - to manipulate the language and use it in practical situations. As a speaker of several other languages and an experienced teacher himself, Mark asks questions all the time, so your own questions will be answered as you learn more.
In the same time it takes you to sit down and enjoy a coffee in your favourite coffee shop, you can make progress with your German. Our 15-20 minute lessons are perfect to keep you focused and let you develop your confidence in regular sessions.
Your Instructor
The Coffee Break German 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 German, discussions about the language between Thomas and Mark, 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely I believe the premium Coffee Break German is worth it, especially because the spelling and pronunciation in German are often quite different from English, so it helps to see how the words are actually spelled. The lesson notes and video versions of the podcasts are very helpful and well designed.
Florence Lin Erman, Coffee Break German Facebook message
As an advanced Spanish speaker and intermediate in French, I have used Radio Lingua's Coffee Break Spanish and Coffee Break French. However, I barely knew a single word of German before embarking on Coffee Break German course. Each lesson is well structured with conversation, vocabulary and essential grammar. The Cultural Correspondent feature is an interesting edition - definitely the right decision. The video flashcards are particularly useful as you see the words written as they are spoken. The bonus audio has more conversation and vocabulary, together with a useful test. The written lesson guide builds into an excellent textbook. This is the best Radio Lingua product I have come across and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking to learn, or improve, their German.
DFWC2002, iTunes UK Review
Really impressive program. I was using the free podcast for the first few lessons, then upgraded to the paid subscription. The video flashcards are extremely helpful and the grammar guru sections are a nice break from the dialogue. The whole thing is professional and polished. A real pleasure to study with - recommended.
TexasBrink - iTunes US Review