Disappearances, referencing the past, and Jiveworld English

July 7, 2024

Hola language learner,

This week's featured story is a heavy one. In Hasta encontrarlo a Guatemalan family recounts their painful past and ongoing fight for justice. For lighter fare, we explain how to talk about things that happened in the past en español, share a Spotify playlist, and let you in on our latest language drop.

Featured story
Hasta encontrarlo

The Molina Theissens breathed a sigh of relief when their daughter, presumed dead, turned up alive. But minutes after, their lives would fall apart again. Forty years later, their case is emblematic of a conflict that Guatemala has never fully dealt with. This story mentions traumatic experiences and may not be appropriate for all listeners.

O sea, no estabas frente a un enemigo honorable, en ningún sentido. No cabía absolutamente ningún trato de ninguna especie y la decisión fue: "Hay que protegerla."

Want to listen to the full story? Subscribe to unlock the entire catalog of Stories and Soundbites.

Artwork by Carla Berrocal

Listen on Jiveworld

What's happening at Jiveworld?
Jiveworld English

Featuring stories from Radiolab, The Moth, and The Truth, Jiveworld English is now available in Brazil. Portuguese-speakers can now use our patented study player to improve their English – all while listening to funny, educational, and emotional tales from top storytellers.

ICYMI
Talking about time

This video lesson will teach you how to reference the past in Spanish. Knowing how to say 'three years ago,' 'for an hour,' or 'since my birthday' will open up your abilities to tell stories and share your experiences.

Preview image for a video that shows a woman surrounded by thought bubbles that have the words "ago," "since," and "how long" inside them. Click the image to go to the video.

What we're reading

Is being bilingual good for you brain?

BBC

This video from the BBC explains how learning a second language benefits your brain, improving concentration, memory, and creativity.

Babies in the womb exposed to two languages hear speech differently when born

PsyPost

Newborns of bilingual mothers show greater sensitivity to a wider range of speech sounds compared to newborns of monolingual mothers, suggesting prenatal exposure to multiple languages influences the neural encoding of speech.

AI is helping indigenous teens in Brazil keep their mother tongue alive

Reasons to be Cheerful

Chatbots and other new technology could play a key role in preserving languages that are at risk of dying out.

Jiveworld Español y Radio Ambulante

Spotify

Listen to more than 24 hours worth of Radio Ambulante stories on our special Spotify playlist. Each story is available in Jiveworld for deeper study.

Featured Review

"Great UX and content for intermediate to advanced learners. Compared to other major learning apps, you can practice without any speaking requirement and download offline when commuting. Content is a more advanced level and offers both visual/audio learning."

burger1449, Apple App Store review

★★★★★