Perfect pitch, maintaining motivation, and common expressions

Hello friend,

This week, we talk about the importance of motivation in your language learning routine, meet a blind man with perfect pitch, and equip you with a whole collection of phrases for expressing yourself in Spanish like a native speaker. ¡Cuídense!

Featured story
240 aves

In 240 aves, we head to Uruguay and meet a blind man with perfect pitch. Juan Pablo's childhood wasn't easy. But when his father, as a game, tested him on recognizing birdsong, Juan Pablo discovered his passion — one that led him down a path to national fame. In this story's Soundbites, you'll explore the Uruguayan accent, practice picking up on sarcasm in Spanish, and venture beyond the basics of voseo.

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Artwork by Sol Undurraga

Language tip of the week
Maintain motivation

Like many things in life, language learning is easiest when you are motivated to keep going. Forget the methods and classes: if you don't have a reason or goal driving you forward, it will be nearly impossible to succeed at reaching fluency. Do you have a friend or family member you want to better connect with? Do you want to travel or live in another country? Are you improving your professional skills to go further in your career? Envision your future, fluent self, achieving your goals. What are you now able to do? What worlds have unlocked for you? Hold on to that vision as you map out your study path and develop your routine.

If travel or living abroad excites you most, hang up a picture in your study space to inspire you. If you're trying to impress a new partner's family, set aside conversation time with them each week to help hold you accountable. If you want to be able to immerse yourself in culture, treat yourself to a movie, book, museum, or food delivery each time you reach a new milestone in your study. Learning a new language is deeply rewarding, but can be frustrating. Remember your "why" and know that we here at Jiveworld are cheering for you!

ICYMI: Common Spanish expressions

Do you say, ¿Cómo estás? to strangers? Or default all of your goodbyes to Adiós? Maybe... don't. Just like you wouldn't use formal greetings in your everyday encounters with your friends, native Spanish speakers mix it up with phrases like ¿Cómo te va? and ¡Nos vemos! respectively. Watch this video for additional alternatives to everyday phrases, pleasantries, and more. 

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