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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Translating word for word from English is one of the quickest ways to sound unnatural in Spanish, and set phrases are where it shows most. In this episode, Pablo goes through ten everyday expressions where Spanish picks a completely different verb from English, covering questions, mistakes, parties, instruments and more, with an example of each so you can start using them straight away.

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

➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter

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Spanish idioms are a great way to make your conversations sound more natural from the very beginning. In this episode, Anabel introduces five beginner-friendly expressions you'll hear in everyday Spanish:

1. tenerlo en la punta de la lengua
2. costar un ojo de la cara (or un riñón)
3. echar una mano
4. comerse la cabeza
5. trabajar codo con codo

You'll learn what they mean, when native speakers use them, and how to start using these practical idioms with confidence in your own Spanish.

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

➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter

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There's more than one way to say you lost something in Spanish, and the version you choose changes how the sentence feels. In this episode, Pablo compares "perdí" with "se me perdió" using different examples from the video, and unpacks why Spanish speakers go for the second one so often.

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

➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter

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Spanish speakers love a good exaggeration, and these colourful expressions are a great way to sound more natural in conversation. In this episode, Anabel introduces five everyday phrases that add drama and personality to your Spanish: hace un frío que pela, hace siglos que no nos vemos, tener tanta hambre que te comerías un caballo, ser más largo que un día sin pan and estar más solo que la una. You'll learn what they mean, how Spanish speakers use them, and how to work them into your own Spanish to sound more authentic and expressive.

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

➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter

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In this episode, Anabel explores how to react in Spanish when you hear something surprising or hard to believe. There isn't one single way to say "no way!" in Spanish, so she walks you through natural expressions for three different situations: showing surprise, disagreeing, and reacting to something that seems impossible. You'll hear how each one is used in real conversations. Which expression will you start using first?

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

➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter

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Whether you're watching a match or chatting with friends, football comes up a lot in the Spanish-speaking world. In this episode, Pablo covers the vocabulary you need, from the basics like 'el estadio' and 'el árbitro' to the phrases fans shout at the screen.

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

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The subjunctive has a reputation for being one of the trickiest parts of Spanish, but you don't always need it to talk about what might happen. In this episode, Pablo shares three everyday expressions, a lo mejor, igual and lo mismo, that let you express possibility and uncertainty using the ordinary indicative. They're common, natural and a great way to sound more relaxed when you're not quite sure about something.

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

➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter

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Anabel is back, and this time she's bringing us three jokes in Spanish. Can you get them? Each one teaches you something interesting about how Spanish really works, from double meanings to wordplay and idioms. The last one might surprise you!

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

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Pablo goes beyond "trabajo" and introduces the real words Spanish speakers use when they talk about work, from "curro" and "currar" in Spain to "chamba" and "chambear" in Mexico. Along the way, he shares a cultural insight about how and when to ask someone about their job. Which of these words will you start using first?

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

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