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Learn languages by copying everyday conversations.

Free Italian audio course

Learn by copying everyday conversations.

Hear a short scene, understand the useful phrases, copy them out loud, then try your own answers in the pauses.

Episode 1

First day at the café

Italian · A1 beginner · 9 minutes · No signup

Download MP3 (6.7 MB) Read the transcript

Free to play, download, and read, with no account or email needed.

Voices are AI-generated. Luca, the teacher, and Sam, the learner, are fictional characters.

More episodes are coming

Each free audio course will follow the 200 everyday conversations of our app, from A1 to B2. Episodes come out one at a time.

Episode 1 is out in every language. See all free audio courses.

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How the lesson works

  1. 1

    Hear the scene

    Anna starts a new job at a café in Italy and meets Paolo. First, you just listen for one word.

  2. 2

    Understand the useful phrases

    Luca explains each phrase in English, only as much as helps your next try.

  3. 3

    Copy them out loud

    Say each phrase in the pause after you hear it. Copy the sound and rhythm before worrying about grammar.

  4. 4

    Try your answers

    Say where you’re from, swap in a new city, then play Anna. A spoken answer follows every pause, so you can compare.

Missed an answer? Keep listening. The words come back, and you don’t need to touch the screen once the episode is playing.

After this episode

You can say hello and your name, say where you’re from, say you’re a little nervous and that you’re ready, and understand a new colleague’s replies.

Level A1. Written for adult English speakers starting Italian. You don’t need any Italian to begin.

Phrases you’ll say

  • Ciao, sono Anna.

    Hi, I'm Anna.

  • Sono di Boston.

    I'm from Boston.

  • Sono un po' nervosa.

    I'm a little nervous. (A man says nervoso.)

  • Perfetto. Sono pronta!

    Perfect. I'm ready! (A man says pronto.)

Phrases you’ll recognize

  • Piacere, sono Paolo.

    Nice to meet you, I'm Paolo.

  • Sei di Roma?

    Are you from Rome?

  • Ah, sei americana!

    Oh, you're American!

  • Tranquilla. Qui siamo tutti gentili.

    Don't worry. Everyone here is kind.

  • Il tuo è rosa.

    Yours is pink.

Listening with your screen off

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The speaking pauses are optional. If you’re driving, keep your attention on the road: just listen, or skip the speaking parts. The episode says the same.

Transcript

Every word of Episode 1. Choose a time to play from there. “Your turn” marks a pause for you to speak; Italian is in bold.

Welcome

Sam: New job, new café, new language. And I have to introduce myself before the first coffee.

Luca: Then let's get you ready. Welcome to Copycat Cafe. I'm Luca.

Sam: And I'm Sam. Still hoping for that coffee.

Luca: One more thing before we start: Sam and I are AI-generated voices. By the end, you'll be able to introduce yourself in Italian: say hello and your name, say where you're from, say you're a bit nervous, and say you're ready. Listen first. Copy the sound. Then try the words for yourself. We'll leave space for you to speak.

Luca: If you miss an answer, let it go. You'll hear the words again. You don't need to rewind or look at a screen. If you're driving, keep your attention on the road and skip the speaking exercises.

First day at the café

Luca: Here's the whole scene. It's Anna's first day working at a café in Italy. Sam is Anna. I'm Paolo, her new colleague. Just listen for one word: sono. I am.

Sam: Ciao, sono Anna. Sono la nuova collega.

Luca: Piacere, sono Paolo. Sei di Roma?

Sam: No, sono di Boston.

Luca: Ah, sei americana!

Sam: Sì, e sono un po' nervosa.

Luca: Tranquilla. Qui siamo tutti gentili.

Sam: E quello è il mio grembiule?

Luca: No, quello è il mio. Il tuo è rosa.

Sam: Perfetto. Sono pronta!

Say hello

Sam: A pink apron. I can live with that.

Luca: Let's start with the first line. Ciao, sono Anna. Hi, I'm Anna. Here, sono means I am. In an introduction like this, Italian doesn't need a separate word for I. Copy just that: sono.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Luca: Now the whole greeting: ciao, sono Anna.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Paolo answers: piacere, sono Paolo. Piacere means nice to meet you. Copy it: piacere.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Luca: Once more, a little warmer. Piacere.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Say where you're from

Luca: Then Paolo asks: sei di Roma? Are you from Rome? Sei means you are. You don't need to say that one. Just recognise it. Sei di Roma?

Luca: Anna answers: no, sono di Boston. No, I'm from Boston. Sono di, I'm from. Copy it: sono di Boston.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Once more. Sono di Boston.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Now change the city. Londra is London. Sono di Londra. Copy it.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Now without hearing the Italian first. Say: I'm from Boston.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Luca: Sono di Boston. Same start, new city. That little switch matters: copying gives you a starting point you can change.

Luca: Paolo says: ah, sei americana! Oh, you're American! Here's a quick check. Sei americana. Is Paolo talking about himself, or about Anna? Say it in English.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Luca: About Anna. Sei, you are.

Say how you feel

Luca: Anna says: sì, e sono un po' nervosa. Yes, and I'm a little nervous. Un po', a little. Anna says nervosa because she's a woman. A man says nervoso. Hear the ending: nervosa, nervoso.

Sam: So I pick the ending that fits me.

Luca: Exactly. Copy the start first: un po'.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Luca: Now the whole line, with the ending that fits you. Sono un po' nervosa. Or: sono un po' nervoso.

Your turn · 5.5-second pause

Luca: Paolo reassures her: tranquilla. Qui siamo tutti gentili. Don't worry. Everyone here is kind. Literally, here we're all kind. Just let that one wash over you.

Sam: Then the apron question.

Luca: Yes. Anna asks: e quello è il mio grembiule? And is that my apron? And Paolo says: no, quello è il mio. Il tuo è rosa. No, that one's mine. Yours is pink. Il mio, mine. Il tuo, yours. Here's a quick check. Il tuo è rosa. What colour is Anna's apron? Say it in English.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Luca: Pink. Rosa.

Say you're ready

Luca: Anna finishes with: perfetto. Sono pronta! Perfect. I'm ready! Listen to the double t in perfetto. Copy it: perfetto.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Luca: Sono pronta. Or, for a man, sono pronto. Say the version that fits you.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Now the whole line, with your ending: perfetto. Sono pronta! Or: perfetto. Sono pronto!

Your turn · 5.5-second pause

Your first day

Luca: Let's put it together. You're Anna. I'll be Paolo. In this scene, use Anna's endings: nervosa, pronta. Say hi and say you're Anna.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Piacere, sono Paolo. Sei di Roma?

Luca: Say no, you're from Boston.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Luca: Ah, sei americana!

Luca: Say yes, and you're a little nervous.

Your turn · 6-second pause

Luca: Tranquilla. Qui siamo tutti gentili.

Luca: Tell me it's perfect, and you're ready.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Luca: Here's one version of your part. Ciao, sono Anna. No, sono di Boston. Sì, e sono un po' nervosa. Perfetto. Sono pronta! If you missed a step, that's fine. These gaps are for practice, not a test.

Listen again

Luca: Let's hear the original scene again. No explanations this time. Notice which bits you recognise.

Sam: Ciao, sono Anna. Sono la nuova collega.

Luca: Piacere, sono Paolo. Sei di Roma?

Sam: No, sono di Boston.

Luca: Ah, sei americana!

Sam: Sì, e sono un po' nervosa.

Luca: Tranquilla. Qui siamo tutti gentili.

Sam: E quello è il mio grembiule?

Luca: No, quello è il mio. Il tuo è rosa.

Sam: Perfetto. Sono pronta!

Your turn

Luca: Now it's your first day. Sam will stay quiet. Same steps as before, but this time, you're from London. Say hi and say you're Anna.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Luca: Piacere, sono Paolo. Sei di Roma?

Luca: Say no, you're from London.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Luca: Ah, Londra!

Luca: Say yes, and you're a little nervous.

Your turn · 6-second pause

Luca: Tranquilla. Qui siamo tutti gentili.

Luca: Tell me it's perfect, and you're ready.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Luca: Here's one version of your part: Ciao, sono Anna. No, sono di Londra. Sì, e sono un po' nervosa. Perfetto. Sono pronta!

Sam: I introduced myself, said I'm from London, and I'm ready. I'll call that progress.

Keep the phrases

Luca: One last line from memory. Say: hi, I'm Anna, I'm from Boston.

Your turn · 6.5-second pause

Luca: Ciao, sono Anna. Sono di Boston. Keep sono and sono di. You heard them, copied them, and changed the city. You don't need every word from the scene today. Come back and try the gaps again. This is the free Copycat Cafe audio course. The optional paid app adds pronunciation feedback and conversations that respond to you. Today's matching lesson is First day at the café. A presto!

Sam: A presto! Now, about that coffee.

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About this episode

Episode 1 of the free Copycat Cafe Italian audio course. It’s adapted from “First day at the café”, lesson 1 of our Italian course.

Luca and Sam are fictional characters with AI-generated voices. The music is original.

Want feedback on your pronunciation?

The free course gives you the phrases, the pauses, and an answer to compare with. It can’t hear you. The Copycat Cafe app is a paid app that adds a pronunciation score on every word you say, and conversations with Copy, your AI conversation partner, that respond to what you actually say. In the app, “First day at the café” uses the same scene.

See how Copycat works