In April of 2020, I sent out the following tip of the week:

I don’t know how long I have been listening to language podcasts.  Since the beginning of podcasting, I think.  

Podcasts are free audio programs.  There are thousands of podcasts covering thousands of subjects.  And… they are free!

There are scores of language learning podcasts.  Podcasts are by far my favorite way to study these days.  Much of what I know about Spanish and Greek has come directly from podcasts.

Years ago, I discovered the Coffee Break Spanish series.  I am still using it to improve my understanding of the Spanish language.  

Back when I started, there was Coffee Break Spanish.  That was it.  

But, now they offer French, Italian, Chinese, German, English, and Swedish as well.

If you want to learn a language, and if you have time to listen (perhaps while driving to work), then I recommend the Coffee Break Language series.  

Update: For about ten days in July 2021, I drove around the West.  I slowly made my way to Winter Park, Colorado where my son lives these days.  On the way out there and on the way back, I binged out on Coffee Break French.

I still recommend the podcasts, but I have to admit, I am a little disappointed.  Marc, the teacher in the series, has begun allowing advertisements on the show.  That’s fine.  I get that.

Unfortunately, one outfit, named Acast, advertises their podcast.  I was disturbed by some of their advertisements.  One recurring podcast advertised a “horror” podcast.  The advertisements were disturbing enough to motivate me to write this update.

Several other advertisements, also by Acast, were advertisements pushing the agenda of the LGBTetcetera crowd.  I am not going to get into that quagmire other than to say this.  We get plenty of that push everywhere else, thank you very much.  I came to the Coffee Break Language Series to learn languages.  Simple as that.  I did not come to hear someone’s agenda.

That said, it is with sadness that I say, I can no longer recommend the Coffee Break Series.  Not because I don’t like the Coffee Break Series.  Nope.  Not that all.  Simply because of the behavior of the advertisers.