Coffee Break German

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Bonus Episode: Clues Explained - Die große Coffee Break Schatzsuche 2026

We're back with a special bonus episode of the Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026! Join us for a detailed explanation of this year's Treasure Hunt clues. Sit back, rel

Sep 8
13 min

Clue #4 (Deutsch) | The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026

We have reached the last clue of our virtual treasure hunt - Die große Coffee Break Schatzsuche 2026 - which will lead us to the final location! Test your German and dete

Aug 30
9 min

Clue #3 (Deutsch) | The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026

It's time for the third clue of Die große Coffee Break Schatzsuche 2026, our virtual treasure hunt across Europe! Using the interesting facts we provide, and your languag

Aug 28
11 min

Clue #2 (Deutsch) | The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026

We're back with the next episode of Die große Coffee Break Schatzsuche 2026, our virtual treasure hunt across Europe! Join us as we reveal clue number two which takes us

Aug 26
10 min

Clue #1 (Deutsch) | The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026

Welcome to the first episode of Die große Coffee Break Schatzsuche 2026 our virtual treasure hunt across Europe! Join us in this first episode as we reveal the initial cl

Aug 24
11 min

The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt 2026

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: http

Aug 22
3 min

The many meanings of the German verb 'stehen'

You probably learned 'stehen' as the German verb for "standing". In this episode, Thomas explains the range of other meanings it carries in everyday German, including exp

Aug 17
7 min

The hidden German continuous tense: am + verb

Thomas explains how German handles continuous actions, something that doesn't come with its own dedicated tense the way English '-ing' forms do. He also introduces the in

Aug 3
8 min

How to say 'feel' in German: fühlen, sich fühlen and sich anfühlen

One English word, three German ones. In this episode, Thomas explains why "feel" splits into "fühlen", "sich fühlen" and "sich anfühlen" in German, and how to know which

Jul 20
7 min

Five common mistakes German learners make, and how to fix them

I bet you've done at least one of these. In this episode I walk through five mistakes German learners make all the time, from getting the construction behind "recht haben

Jul 6
7 min

Ordering ice cream in the German-speaking world: what to know first

Ordering an ice cream might sound simple, but in German-speaking countries it can be a surprisingly different experience. In this episode, Thomas explains how it all work

Jun 22
9 min

What to say in German when you're lost for words

We've all been there: you're mid-sentence and the word just won't come. In this episode, Thomas shares the little phrases German speakers reach for when they're lost for

Jun 8
7 min

Nach, nachdem or danach? How to say 'after' and 'during' in German

English gets by with one little word, after, but German has three: nach, nachdem and danach. In this episode, Thomas picks up where the 'before' episode left off and show

May 25
9 min

Vor, bevor or davor? 3 German words for 'before' explained

Thomas explains how German handles the word "before". You'll see when to use "vor", "bevor" and "davor", with clear example sentences that show each one in context. By th

May 11
8 min

5 German words with no English equivalent

Thomas introduces five beautifully untranslatable German words that capture feelings and experiences English needs a whole sentence to describe. From "Kopfkino" and "Fern

Apr 27
7 min

10 German words that look English: true friends or false friends?

Are you ready for a test? In this episode, Thomas presents 10 German words that look just like English words and challenges you to decide whether they share the same mean

Apr 13
8 min

Scenes Season 2 | Chapter 10: Ein Anfang und ein Ende

Welcome back to Erna’s Café - our charming German café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersiv

Mar 24
30 min

Scenes Season 2 | Chapter 9: Sommersonne und Abschiedslächeln

Welcome back to Erna’s Café - our charming German café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersiv

Mar 17
32 min

Scenes Season 2 | Chapter 8: Strahlende Gesichter

Welcome back to Erna’s Café - our charming German café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersiv

Mar 9
38 min

Scenes Season 2 | Chapter 7: Blicke sagen mehr als Worte

Welcome back to Erna’s Café - our charming German café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersiv

Mar 3
31 min

Chart trend

Position in the Language Learning chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#13#24JunJulAugSep

all-time peak

days in the top 10 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Coffee Break German ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 15, 2026).

#130 ▲ 4 Education US

#17 ▲ 1 Language Learning US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

I’ve been learning German for a few months. I’ve been listening to Coffee Break German for 5 weeks now and I’ve learned why things are said the way they are. Listening to Mark learn and having enough time to repeat each sentence or word I learn. I’ve learned about 29 words in under 8 hours. This is super.

GraceNotGracie · May 2026

Coming to coffee break German after having taken a few years of German classes I’ve found these lessons very helpful to hear the language spoken and learn everyday phrases. I’ve also loved learning about the culture and testing my knowledge when there were recorded conversations. The grammar segments were also quite helpful at explaining concepts I don’t fully understand grammar wise. This course helps you immerse in the language even when you can’t go on location yet!

EEP1776 · Oct 2025

I’ve been trying to learn German for over a year and honestly I just started this podcast about a month ago and I’ve already learned more with it! I’d highly recommend and a great way to learn while on the go as well!

SuserQ22 · Jul 2025

I’m up to lesson 14 in season 1 and I feel like I’m learning a great deal of German. I lived in Germany as a child, and now - almost 60 years later - I’m adding to the very basic German that I’ve carried with me. The lessons are interesting with Mark and Thomas conversing using language that I’ll benefit from knowing when we travel to Germany in the near future!

DawgBoneRunner · Jul 2025

The show starts very easily, but quickly goes to a place that assumes the listener knows a lot about language. Early episodes have a lot of variation in pronunciation which is very unsettling. Mark (the host) is a language teacher and frequently compares German to other languages he speaks, which can get very confusing. The show also assumes a knowledge of linguistics - for instance, the episode about reflexive verbs could take 30 seconds to explain what a reflexive verb means, and that would make the episode much easier to understand. Add to this that a lot of vocabulary is used which is never taught and it becomes an exercise in frustration. I constantly feel like I’m being talked down to.

Mr Kiwi in PA · Apr 2026

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