lizziedavey Last updated: January 13, 2022

8 Ways to Get Daily Language Practice on Your Coffee Break

Taking the time to practice every day will work wonders for your progress.

The eight activities in this post take under 10 minutes and are great for slipping in some daily language practice even on the busiest of days.

8 Ways to Learn a Language on Your Coffee Break

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8 Ways to Learn a Language on Your Coffee Break

1. Play a game

Learning a language should be fun.

Games are fun.

Therefore… Yeah, you see where this is going. There are so many language learning games out there these days, from burrito builders (for Spanish learners—one of my personal favorites) to good old fashioned pairs. Take five minutes or so to complete a level or run through one round of questions or whatever.

Remember to choose a game that you can actually practice and learn from. There’s no point in playing something that’s easy, just so you can win—trust me, I’ve made this mistake.

As well as playing games, you can also have a quick run through of a language learning app. Many of these are laid out into levels and sections and presented in bite-sized chunks, usually taking the same amount of time as it takes a kettle to boil. Convenient.

Top tip: You can even change your non-language learning games into language learning games simply by changing the language setting. That means all your favorite games on your phone or your computer now double up as a tool for learning–how great is that?

2. Read a newspaper

You can learn many things from reading a newspaper, from serious situations taking place around the world to less serious things like who was the best-dressed at the Oscars.

You can also learn and practice a language by reading a newspaper.

Obviously, it’s near on impossible to buy a newspaper in your target language if you’re not in a native-speaking country, but that’s where the beauty of the internet comes in. Simply search for “Newspapers + your target language” in the mighty oracle that is Google and your world will immediately be blown wide open.

If you don’t want to spend time searching, here are some great guides we’ve put together with tons of resources for using the news to learn these target languages:

Reading the news in your target language means you can learn about serious situations around the world, who wore what best at the Oscars and brush up on your language learning.

You can choose which section of the newspaper to get stuck into, so it’ll hopefully be something you’re interested in, plus it’s mildly nostalgic to read the news with a coffee, right?

Top tip: Newspapers tend to use really simple language, but remember to write down any words and phrases you’re not sure about so you can check them out later.

3. Listen to a podcast

Podcasts are a great way to get used to the sound of your target language, to pick up on intonation, and to begin to improve your listening comprehension.

They’re also a great way to fill the small pockets of time that occur in your daily schedule. Getting the bus somewhere? Need to walk somewhere? Waiting for your coffee to brew? Whack on a podcast.

They’re easy to dip in and out of and there’s such a vast selection out there, you’re bound to find one on a topic you’re interested in or a topic you need to practice.

Not sure which podcasts are worth your time? No worries! We’ve already gone through and found the best for you in these target languages:

You can also check out some great online reviews and breakdowns of the top language learning podcasts. This process will narrow down your selection and save you plenty of time scrolling through endless podcast titles. In the video below, you’ll encounter the top 11 podcasts for language learning as well as exactly what they can do for you!

Using online breakdowns, reviews and recommendations are some of the best ways to encounter quality native learning resources.

Top tip: Lots of language learning podcasts have a transcript and tasks to go alongside them. Notes in Spanish, for example, provides worksheets for every episode. This is the perfect way to delve a little deeper into the practice and create a multisensory learning experience.

4. Write a blurb about your day

Finding the time to write anything during the day, let alone in your target language, is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. But if you think about it as if you’re writing a to-do list (something I’m sure you write in abundance) then it’ll seem like a much easier task.

While you’re waiting in line in a shop, waiting for something to print, or—you’ve guessed it—listening to the kettle boil, grab a post-it note, or open up a “notes” app on your phone if you have one, and jot down a few words about your day.

Simple sentences are fine, just like if you were writing a to-do list or, if you have more time and a lot to write, feel free to crank out a full-page essay on what you’ve had for lunch or how late your bus was that morning.

This limbers up your writing skills in your target language and encourages you to think about simple things and actions in the foreign language. Plus, you can always look back over it the next day to practice further and remind yourself what you did.

Top tip: Consider writing your to-do lists in your target language, too, so you’re forced to look over it at various points throughout the day.

5. Run through some flashcards

Whenever you learn a new word, make sure you write it down on a flashcard along with a description that you’ll understand and remember.

Make it as quirky as you want.

Use colors and images if you need to.

While you’re waiting for your coffee to brew or your lunch to heat up in the microwave, run through a few of these flashcards and test your memory.

Top tip: Keep flashcards grouped in batches that focus on a particular topic. You’ll be able to create connections through similar words and phrases and are more likely to remember where and when you practiced what topic using the theory of set and setting.

6. Flick through a dictionary

Flicking through a dictionary is so underrated. Think of all those words!

The thing to remember here is to not fill your head with obscure words that you’re never going to use. Instead, flick through to words you learned in last night’s lesson or turn to phrases you’ve been wondering about for ages.

It’s easy to get sucked into dictionary browsing, so perhaps write down a list of words you’d like to practice and learn the meaning of beforehand so you have some focus.

Top tip: After you’ve nailed a word and its meaning, create a couple of sentences using it to retain the information–maybe even write it down on a flashcard.

7. Start a language practice group by the water cooler

Starting an impromptu class by the coffee-machine or water cooler isn’t easy if there’s no one in your office who is learning the same language as you.

But, if there are, make good use of them!

Plan to meet at a certain point throughout the day for 10 minutes and commit yourselves to only speaking in your target language during that time.

You can take this one step further, too, and test each other with flashcards, challenge each other to two-player language learning games, or discuss a podcast you’d all planned to listen to the night before.

Daily language practice is so much easier when you have other people to motivate you and you’ll be able to share ideas and bounce questions off of each other.

Top tip: Set a task for each meeting so that there’s some kind of focus and you’re not tempted to simply chat about the hottie who works in the office next door.

8. Watch commercials in your target language

Everyone hates commercials.

But despite their numerous bad qualities, they are a great way to pick up a language because they offer lots of repetition and keywords.

All you have to do is search for “commercials” or “ads” in your target language in YouTube and you’ll be inundated with pages and pages of them.

If you’d like to learn with commercials more efficiently, you can also try using the ones on FluentU. The program has thousands of authentic videos in 10 languages, including plenty of commercials.

The benefit to using FluentU instead of YouTube is that you’ll find the videos are enhanced with learners in mind using tools like dual-language subtitles, transcripts, flashcards, quizzes, a mobile app and more.

One video and some flashcard reviews per day are one good way to get that daily practice in.

Top Tip: If you’re trying to learn a certain set of vocabulary, choose commercials that match it. For example, if you’re looking to learn words relating to cars, select car commercials, or if you’re wanting to understand more words related to cleaning, choose cleaning ads—simple!

How about it? Think you have a spare 10 minutes free every day? Not anymore you don’t! I challenge you to choose at least three of these activities and incorporate them into your coffee break (or while you’re waiting for the bus, or while you’re waiting in line at a store) in the coming week.

I bet you’ll be surprised at how well short, sharp bursts of daily language practice work for you!