Italian Speaking Challenge: Pausa Caffè Is Finally Back!

It’s that time of the year again. 

Summer is over and you had a lot of fun but you somehow left your Italian practice fall by the wayside. You would like to start practicing Italian again but you don’t know exactly how. Probably you just need someone – or something – to hold you accountable and get you back in the swing of things.

If you feel this way, I think that Pausa Caffè is the best way to start practicing Italian again. I created this Italian speaking challenge two years ago as a way to help students overcome their fear of speaking Italian but the feedback I got showed me that it is useful on many different levels.

People told me they felt more confident when speaking Italian, while some other people enjoyed it because it helped them enrich their vocabulary. Some others told me that they loved having a daily task to do and this helped them incorporate the Italian practice into their daily life. Others said that it was a great way to start speaking again after a long time of not using Italian.

I personally think that Pausa Caffè works really well because it is a challenge that gets you to speak a bit of Italian every day, without taking up too much time. It lasts one month only and it only takes ten minutes a day – which is why it’s called Pausa Caffè. An effective language program doesn’t have to be overwhelming, so I have made it easy and fun. I strongly believe this is what makes it useful if you want to find the confidence to speak Italian or simply practice the language consistently for a period of time.

But let me give you all the details!

First of all, the challenge is called Pausa Caffè because a coffee break usually doesn’t last long, maybe just 10 minutes, and this is exactly the time you need to work on the challenge every day. If you sign up for Pausa Caffè, every day you will get a short video from me with a question for you and an idea for a possible answer.

What you need to do is simply answer the question in either video or audio form. I will be using VideoAsk, a platform that gives you the chance of a conversation via asynchronous video. The length of each video on the platform can’t be more than 2 minutes, which makes it perfect for a quick question and answer.

If you do not feel confident enough to show your face – which I totally understand – you can reply in audio form and it will be totally fine. Also, I will listen to your reply and send you feedback on your reply via email. I will do it every day, for each reply you will send me. In order to be able to enjoy this experience at best, you need to be at level B1 (intermediate).

But let’s see things in detail and recap.

How does it work?

It’s super easy: you sign up for Pausa Caffè and will get a video every day for one month (Monday through Friday). Each video will contain a question for you and an idea for a possible answer. You have to reply to that question – in audio or video form – with your answer. For each video you send me, I’ll email you with feedback and correct possible mistakes if needed. If you don’t feel confident in using the video format, which is something I completely understand, the audio format works just as well.

Keep in mind that, in order to be able to enjoy this experience at best, you need to be at level B1 (intermediate).

When does it start?

It starts on Monday, October 9th and ends on Friday, November 3rd. During that period, you will get an email every day from Monday to Friday with a video recorded by me. Each video will never be more than 2 minutes long, making it super easy and quick for you to watch it. I will use VideoAsk, which is a platform that gives you the chance to chat via asynchronous videos.

How much does it cost?

It’s 49 USD, which is more or less the cost of one coffee a day.

What will you get?

– The chance to speak Italian consistently, every weekday (Monday through Friday)

– A safe and relaxed environment – your own home – where you can speak freely

– Tips and recommendations to improve your speaking skills

– More confidence when speaking Italian

Let’s summarize:

– Pausa Caffè is a challenge to make you speak Italian daily, for a month

– It begins on Monday, October 9th and ends on Friday, November 3rd

– Every weekday (Monday through Friday) you get a video with a question you need to answer in either video or audio form

– For every daily answer you send me, you will get an email from me with feedback

– It costs 49 USD, which is just a bit more than the cost of a daily coffee for a month, here in Italy

– It won’t be back soon, so grab it while you can!

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