Coffee Break Italian

Four mystery cities. Four cryptic clues. One week to work out where we're going.

The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt is back for 2026, and everything happens here: https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/treasurehunt

Each clue is a short poem describing a European city without ever naming it. Every clue is written from scratch in French, Italian, German and Spanish by the team who teach it, so it rhymes and reads properly in each one. Watch in whichever language you're learning.

WHEN THE CLUES GO LIVE (all 1pm UK)
Clue 1: Monday 24 August
Clue 2: Wednesday 26 August
Clue 3: Friday 28 August
Clue 4: Sunday 30 August

HOW TO ENTER
The entry form opens on the Treasure Hunt website on Sunday 30 August, alongside the final clue, and closes at 11:59pm UK on Monday 31 August.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN
Get all four right and you win a free month on Coffee Break TV, our on-demand video platform, in whichever language you're learning. You also go into a prize draw. One name comes out of the hat for each language, and that person takes the whole collection of Coffee Break courses in their language.

THE BONUS CLUE
Sign up for the Treasure Hunt emails and we'll send you an extra clue with every city: roughly how far it is from the last one, and in which direction. That one only goes out by email. You can sign up on the landing page.

THE REVEAL
Mark names all four cities, and the hidden spot the final clue points to, on Tuesday 1 September at 4pm UK. A second video on Wednesday 2 September goes back through every clue line by line and explains how each one worked. It's free, it's open to everyone, and there's no travel involved.

https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/treasurehunt
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The verb 'fare' means "to do" or "to make", but it does far more work than that in Italian. In this episode, Francesca goes through seven common set phrases built on 'fare' where the natural English translation is a completely different verb, from talking about the weather to packing a suitcase, taking a photo and asking a question. Learn these and a lot of everyday Italian falls into place.

➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode.

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Francesca takes a tour through the English words that have quietly become part of everyday Italian, from ordering food to talking about work, music, sport and travel. You'll hear just how naturally these words slot into Italian conversation, and pick up some handy vocabulary along the way.

➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode.

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Some Italian words only make sense once you know exactly when to use them. In this episode, Francesca goes through the words you need for specific everyday situations, from "permesso" at the door to "pronto" on the phone, and the many meanings hiding inside "prego". In this episode you'll find some new words, and a few extra examples beyond what's in the video.

➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode.

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Italian is full of idioms that are borrowed from the kitchen, and once you spot them you'll notice them everywhere. In this episode Francesca takes you through 10 everyday food idioms, from someone who's "like parsley" and turns up everywhere to the moment an omelette is already made and the damage is done. She explains what each one really means and the kind of situation where it fits, then rounds things off with a bonus idiom: parla come mangi.

➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.