Quick look, voice assistants, and questionable slang

Hello language learner,

In our featured story, Escuchadme, terráqueos, a recording of his eight-year-old son interviewing his little brother takes a father on a trip down memory lane. Longtime Jiveworlders will be pleased to know we've brought back Quick Look functionality. Keep reading for a tip on using voice assistants to practice your Spanish and some global slang to add to your vocab list.

Featured story
Escuchadme, terráqueos

There are more than 400 million Spanish speakers around the world. And none of them speak the exact same language. In this Radio Ambulante story, host Daniel Alarcón discovers his young son's abandoned digital recorder and with it his own memories of growing up between two languages. 

En Perú solo hay un idioma que importa, un idioma que significa progreso y posibilidad y acceso y dinero: el español. En Perú, la forma en que hablas importa casi tanto como tu apariencia. 

Soundbites from Escuchadme, terráqueos offer grammar lessons, lament años crudos, explain what makes a joke "dirty" (idiomatically), and more. 

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

Artwork by Samuel Castaño

What's new at Jiveworld
Quick Look

Jiveworld regulars will be familiar with the Quick Look feature in Study Mode — tapping a sentence would unhide any hidden words during playback. Recently we changed that tap action to pause the player. Afterwards, we got some "constructive feedback," which we love, that folks were missing this functionality.

So here's something for all you word-hiders and Quick-Lookers — a dedicated Show words button on the current sentence, which appears when any words are hidden. And you can still use the delete key shortcut to Quick Look if have a keyboard.

Have thoughts about the Jiveworld player or want to request a feature? Send us an email! We really do take your feedback to heart.

Study tip
Practice with Siri

You don't want to speak Spanish like a robot, but there's nothing wrong with speaking Spanish to a robot. If you're looking for more ways to practice your Spanish, try changing the language of your phone or home assistant. Trade "Hey Siri" (or "Hey Google") for Oye Siri, and you've got yourself an easy and interactive way to immerse at home.

Improve your Spanish diction
If Siri or Google doesn't understand what you've said, you've got to try again until you get it right. It's great pronunciation and conversation practice without the pressure of actually being in a conversation.

Practice your vocab
You can feel twice as accomplished in your tasks if your assistant helps do them in Spanish.

• Waking up early? Pon una alarma para la 7 de la mañana. (Set an alarm for 7 A.M.)
• Planning your commute? ¿Cómo está el clima hoy? (What's the weather like today?)
• Cooking a new recipe? Pon un temporizador de 30 minutos. (Set a timer for 30 minutes.)

If you need to catch up on texts or emails with Spanish-speaking friends, speak them out loud to your assistant and skip the typing.

• Envía un mensaje a María. (Send a message to María.)

Now your tech is working double-time: as a personal assistant and a personal Spanish tutor. ¡Buena suerte!

ICYMI
How to say "cool," en español

Let's be real — we all desperately want to be perceived as cool. And yet there are few things as cringey as trying. We can't make you hip (lit? fly?), but we can help you sound like a native Spanish speaker with this fire vocab from across Latin America.

Want us to make a video on a specific aspect of Spanish? Just let us know.

What we're reading

You can now find back issues of this newsletter on our website. Browse past tips, find previously shared articles, or find your next story to listen to.

Thanks for reading,

Team Jiveworld