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Search Results for: "coffee break" review

An Honest Review of Coffee Break With Image of Woman Lying on Floor Using Computer

Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German Courses

Coffee Break

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

The Coffee Break Languages series teach languages through podcast-style lessons. The lessons have a casual feel and offer lots of explanations, building on each other nicely. Courses are available for a one-time purchase, but much of the material is also available for free as podcasts or Youtube videos.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

The audio is of high quality and the instruction is thoughtful.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

There are lots of explanations, and you can start as an absolute beginner, but practice opportunities are limited.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

There is a lot of high-quality content available for free; the paid courses might not be worth the price for some.

I Like
  • Explanations are thorough.
  • Lessons build on each other logically.
  • The language often feels authentic.
  • There’s lots of free content.
I Don’t Like
  • Opportunities to interact with the language are limited.
  • There isn’t much of a focus on productive skills.
  • I expected the paid courses to offer more extra materials for the price.
Price

Many audio lessons are free. The premium version of each season includes extra materials and costs $104.


Depending on which season of language you decide to get the pricing ranges from $20-$200.

Check Out CoffeeBreak

Spotify is my platform of choice, and it’s got a ton of Coffee Break lessons.

…

Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German CoursesRead More »

Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German Courses Read More »

An Honest Review of Coffee Break Spanish With Image of Spanish Architecture

Coffee Break Spanish Review – Are The Paid Courses Worth It?

Coffee Break Spanish

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

Coffee Break Spanish offers some really good free lessons available as podcasts. Additionally, they sell premium courses with extra materials on their website. For most people, there probably isn’t enough extra material included in the premium lessons to make it worth paying for the courses as they’re pretty expensive. This review will look at the free audio lessons, as well as the premium content.

Quality 4.0
★★★★★

It feels like you’re sitting in on a Spanish class.

Thoroughness 4.0
★★★★★

Takes you from the very basics to at least an intermediate level.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

The free lessons are amazing value but the paid courses are a bit expensive.

I Like
  • They offer a comprehensive, well-structured, and free audio course.
  • Lots of detailed explanations of vocabulary and grammar with lots of explanations.
  • The lessons start fairly slowly but build up to where a lot of Spanish is used in later seasons.
I Don’t Like
  • I wish there were more extra materials included or the price were lower for the paid courses.
  • It’s primarily an input based course and you’ll need to practice speaking and writing Spanish more on your own.
  • It doesn’t have a lot of the interactive exercises as some other resources.
Price

The audio for all of the lessons is completely free but the extra materials cost money. The 40 lesson package is $124.

Find all of the audio lessons for free on Itunes.

Try a free lesson of Coffee Break Spanish

Prior to writing this review of Coffee Break Spanish, I’d already tried out lots of courses to study Spanish, such as News in Slow Spanish, Fluencia, Rocket Spanish, SpanishPod101, Baselang, Babbel, and a few others.

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Coffee Break Spanish Review – Are The Paid Courses Worth It?Read More »

Coffee Break Spanish Review – Are The Paid Courses Worth It? Read More »

An Honest Review of Coffee Break Chinese With Image of Chinese Architecture

Coffee Break Chinese Review – Is It Right For You?

Coffee Break Chinese

Rating 4.0
★★★★★

Summary

Coffee Break Chinese offers a free audio podcast and a premium course. You’ll learn Chinese alongside one of the hosts, Mark, who’s learning himself with the guidance of Crystal, the Chinese host. Together they create a fairly relaxing atmosphere in which to learn Chinese. As Coffee Break Chinese is still producing their first season, only beginners would benefit from this course.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The lessons are well structured – building up from words to sentences to dialogues.

Thoroughness 3.5
★★★
★
★★

As they’re still producing the first season, there’s a lot of material left to cover.

Value 4.0
★★★★★

It’s great that you can listen to the audio lessons for free but the paid course is a bit expensive.

I Like
  • The lessons are scaffolded very well. In a single lesson you’ll go from learning new words to being able to put those words together into a full dialogue.
  • It’s less intimidating than other Chinese learning resources which will better suit a certain type of learner.
  • The audio version of the lessons are completely free.
I Don’t Like
  • I think serious learners could progress faster with other resources.
  • You’ll need to supplement your learning with other materials.
Price

You can access all of the audio lessons for free as a podcast. The premium course costs $350.

Try the first lesson for free

Coffee Break Chinese isn’t for everyone but it wasn’t designed to be for everyone.

…

Coffee Break Chinese Review – Is It Right For You?Read More »

Coffee Break Chinese Review – Is It Right For You? Read More »

Think In Italian (Ripeti Con Me) Review

Think In Italian (formerly: Ripeti Con Me) Review – Strong Focus on Speaking

Think in Italian (Ripeti Con Me)

Rating 4.4
★★★★
★
★

Summary

Think in Italian, created by Stefano Lodola, a well-versed Italian polyglot, offers a unique approach to learning Italian. It combines intuitive audio courses, a vast library of bilingual readings, and an innovative AI tutor, all tailored to enhance speaking rhythm and understanding of the Italian language. The course stands out for its effective teaching method, though it might not appeal to everyone due to its straightforward, non-gamified approach.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The materials are top-notch, blending traditional learning with innovative AI elements. Each component feels carefully curated and well-integrated.

Thoroughness 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The course excels in reinforcing learned material. Concepts are revisited in new contexts, ensuring solid retention and understanding.

Value 4.3
★★★★
★
★

The price is not cheap, but worth the investment for serious learners. The blend of audio lessons, readings, and AI tutor offers more depth and interaction than many other courses.

I Like
  • The natural approach to language learning, mimicking the way we naturally acquire languages.
  • How the AI tutor personalizes conversations, making learning feel tailored and engaging.
  • The ease of fitting the bite-sized readings into a busy schedule without losing the essence of immersion.
  • The focus on Italian culture, names, and places, enriching the learning experience.
  • The structured progression of lessons, where previous learnings are revisited in future lessons, reinforcing knowledge.
I Don’t Like
  • Some may find the course lacks the gamified elements found in other language apps, which could be a motivator for certain learners.
  • The lesson style is straightforward, with key concepts being learned through exposure rather than explicit teaching, which might be challenging for those who prefer more structured, traditional lessons.
Price

The course starts with a 7-day free trial, followed by a subscription of $39.80/month or $357/year.

Click our link to get 50% off on your first month

Think in Italian 7-Day Free Trial

I recently had the chance to dive into newly updated Think in Italian (formerly known as Ripeti Con Me), an online Italian learning platform created by Stefano Lodola, who amazingly has mastered 12 languages himself through many language learning methods.

With a personal touch from Stefano, the method is grounded in natural language acquisition — listening and mimicking.

…

Think In Italian (formerly: Ripeti Con Me) Review – Strong Focus on SpeakingRead More »

Think In Italian (formerly: Ripeti Con Me) Review – Strong Focus on Speaking Read More »

Jiveworld (previously Lupa) Review – As Tested by 11 Spanish Learners

Jiveworld (Lupa)

Rating 3.8
★★★
★
★★

Summary

Jiveworld (previously Lupa) is a podcast-style app that helps Latin American Spanish learners improve their listening comprehension. The company has partnered with NPR’s Radio Ambulante to republish fascinating stories and interviews full of cultural insights and natural Spanish. Then, they have added a bunch of learner-friendly features to help you understand what’s being said: variable speeds, partial transcripts and translations, definitions and more. The stories are what shine here. They represent diverse communities around Latin America, and the recordings are high quality. Most of our testers found their listening comprehension markedly improved after just a couple of weeks. However, Lupa could benefit from additional features, such as review activities, interactive quizzes and learner pathways. It’s also not suited to beginners, while lower-intermediate learners may struggle.

NOTE: LUPA IS NOW JIVEWORLD. WE UNDERSTAND THE APP HAS BEEN TOTALLY REDESIGNED AND IMPROVED, BUT HAVE NOT YET HAD OPPORTUNITY TO TEST IT OUT. This review applies to the old Lupa.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The quality is generally excellent, although the app is difficult to use with a screen reader.

Thoroughness 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Lupa’s stories are fascinating, if at times heavy-going, but there are no learning pathways and testers struggled to remember vocabulary.

Value 3.5
★★★
★
★★

Users found it to be an excellent use of their time but were divided over whether they would pay the subscription rate.

I Like
  • They noticed an improvement in their listening comprehension after one or two weeks.
  • Fascinating stories full of cultural insights.
  • Plenty to challenge even advanced learners.
  • Wide range of Latin American Spanish dialects and communities.
I Don’t Like
  • The vocab feature is extremely basic.
  • No interactive or review activities.
  • The material can be challenging.
  • Limited light-hearted stories.
Price

$12/month zero-commitment or $99/year charged in one lump sum
By signing up via the link below, the cost is $10/month or $84/year.

NOTE: LUPA IS NOW JIVEWORLD. WE UNDERSTAND THE APP HAS BEEN TOTALLY REDESIGNED AND IMPROVED, BUT HAVE NOT YET HAD OPPORTUNITY TO TEST IT OUT. The review applies to the old Lupa.

Visit Jiveworld (Previously Lupa)

Listening comprehension is one of the trickiest things to improve as a learner. And the better you get at speaking Spanish, the more likely it is that the person you’re talking with will start using local slang and natural phrasing, like

hacer locha (laze about) or revolú (mess).

…

Jiveworld (previously Lupa) Review – As Tested by 11 Spanish LearnersRead More »

Jiveworld (previously Lupa) Review – As Tested by 11 Spanish Learners Read More »

An Honest Review of News in Slow French With Image of Paris

News In Slow French Review – Makes Studying More Fun

News In Slow French

Rating 4.5
★★★★
★
★

Summary

News in Slow French offers three different levels of content (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) with lots of different features for each. I’m a huge fan of what’s included at the intermediate level but a bit less enthusiastic about the content at the beginner and advanced levels. That’s not to say those levels are bad, they aren’t by any means, but the material available for intermediate level learners is really fantastic. Much more than simply current events narrated at a slower pace, News in Slow French is comprensive, engaging, fun, and effective.

Quality 4.5
★★★★
★
★

It often doesn’t feel like you’re studying without sacrificing on quality.

Thoroughness 4.5
★★★★
★
★

The depth and unique manner in which they teach grammar and expressions is really impressive.

Value 4.5
★★★★
★
★

Although it’s not cheap, there’s more content than you may initially realize.

I Like
  • The manner in which current events are talked about makes them really engaging to listen to.
  • The huge catalog of grammar and expressions lessons age very well, providing a ton of study material.
  • Grammar and expressions are first used naturally in a conversation, only to be explained later, making learning them feel much more natural.
I Don’t Like
  • The beginner and advanced lessons aren’t quite as good as the intermediate level.
  • Their app is very basic and doesn’t include the courses, so you may prefer using a mobile browser instead.
  • Most of the content doesn’t require you to use the French you’ve learned.
Price

There’s a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, then the price is $19.90/month. There’s also an option to prepay for up to 12 months at a time, which doesn’t affect the monthly price.

Visit News in Slow French

News in Slow French is an online program that aims to provide useful content for French language learners of all levels. Some of these levels are better than others.

…

News In Slow French Review – Makes Studying More FunRead More »

News In Slow French Review – Makes Studying More Fun Read More »

An Honest Review of StudySpanish.com With Image of Spanish Architecture

StudySpanish.com Review: Don’t Pay For Their Camino Del Éxito Course

StudySpanish.com – Camino Del Éxito

Rating 2.0
★★★★★

Summary

StudySpanish.com has some useful free materials on their website, but their paid products should be avoided. Their Camino del Éxito audio course is a near exact copy of the free FSI Basic Spanish Course. They also have a separate subscription plan but none of the extra materials found within it are very useful and definitely not worth paying for.

Quality 2.5
★★
★
★★★

Their vocabulary lessons in the subscription are especially bad.

Thoroughness 3.0
★★★★★

It’s a thorough course but not their own.

Value 0.5
★
★★★★★

Same material is available for free but their recordings are higher quality.

I Like
  • The audio recordings are better than the FSI course.
  • They have a lot of helpful free materials.
I Don’t Like
  • They’re charging $200 for a course that’s available for free.
  • None of the materials included in the subscription plan are much better than what they give away for free.
  • It just feels so sketchy to call it your course when it was created by others. At least be honest about it.
Price

Subscription starts at $9.99 monthly or $119 for a lifetime subscription.

Visit StudySpanish.com

StudySpanish.com is a resource that lots of Spanish learners come across, in large part, because they offer a ton of free materials – much of which is quite good.

…

StudySpanish.com Review: Don’t Pay For Their Camino Del Éxito CourseRead More »

StudySpanish.com Review: Don’t Pay For Their Camino Del Éxito Course Read More »

Best Apps Icelandic

Best Apps to Learn Icelandic: The Ultimate Guide to Apps, Courses, and Other Resources

The Icelandic language is considered a pure language. Meaning that it doesn’t include loanwords in the language. 

Whether you want to travel to Iceland, connect with Icelandic friends and family, or you’re just curious about Icelandic history and culture. Whatever your reasons for learning, you need to know what resources to look out for to get started. 

…

Best Apps to Learn Icelandic: The Ultimate Guide to Apps, Courses, and Other ResourcesRead More »

Best Apps to Learn Icelandic: The Ultimate Guide to Apps, Courses, and Other Resources Read More »

How to Learn Spanish Fast

Learn Spanish fast – The Ultimate Guide

Are you interested in learning Spanish but feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of mastering a new language? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Learning a new language can seem like a time-consuming task, but with the right strategies and techniques, you can make rapid progress and start speaking Spanish with confidence in no time.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some effective tips and tricks for learning Spanish fast, so you can start communicating in one of the world’s most widely spoken languages. Whether you’re learning for travel, work, or personal enrichment, these tips will help you accelerate your learning and achieve your language goals. So, let’s get started!

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Learn Spanish fast – The Ultimate GuideRead More »

Learn Spanish fast – The Ultimate Guide Read More »