The church of Maradona, hypotheticals, and slang

September 8, 2024

Hola language learner,

"Don't be the head of a thermos. Don't let a turtle get away." These phrases spoken by a famous soccer player became two commandments issued by a unique church in Argentina. Our featured story, La llamada del 10, explores fandom-as-religion's impact on a young man's life. After the story, you'll find a tip on how Jiveworld displays vocabulary, a grammar lesson, and some articles that will have you adding slang and music to your study list.

Featured story
La llamada del 10

Meeting your idol can change your life, but it might not be for the better. At the age of nine, Mariano met his hero, Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona, on national TV. The double edged sword of fame quickly turned this childhood dream into a nightmare.

Dios nuestro que estás en las canchas, santificada sea tu zurda. Venga a nuestros ojos tu magia, y háganse tus goles recordar así en la tierra como en el cielo.

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Artwork by Laura Pérez

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Exploring Jiveworld
Vocabulary abbreviations

You'll encounter abbreviations, or "tags" as we call them, next to certain vocabulary in the Jiveworld player. These tags add additional context to the definition and may specify a domain or subject area, a region where the word is commonly used, or even a vulgarity. For example:

Domain: fallo = (legal) ruling, verdict
Regionalism: barda = (Mex.) wall
Vulgarity: hijo de puta = (vulg.) son of a bitch

We also add annotations for diminutives and augmentatives, adding the original word to the definition:

casita = little house (dim. casa)
exitazo = big success (aug. éxito)

Sometimes, for clarity, we add the literal translation to the definition. This is particularly helpful for idioms. For example:

recibir gato por liebre = to get ripped off (lit. to receive a cat instead of a hare)

ICYMI
Grammar: hypotheticals

This one is for the advanced learners. In this video we are talking hypotheticals – should have, would have, and could have – en español. This is a complex grammar lesson made simple, and we promise it will be well worth the 10+ minutes you spend watching it.

Preview image for a video that shows a woman about to speak. Click the image to go to the video.

What we're reading

Reggaeton has sparked a Puerto Rican Spanish renaissance

NYTimes

As Bad Bunny and other Puerto Rican musical artists explode in popularity, language instructors say more people want to learn how to speak the island's slick, swaggering version of Spanish.

The hardest part of learning another language

Psychology Today

Learning a language from a textbook isn't the same as being able to effectively communicate with it. In addition to familiarizing yourself with slang and idioms you'll need to know cultural norms too.

The most fun way to learn a language - pick up some slang

The Atlantic

In this personal essay, Valerie Trapp explains the joy of Spanish slang and how it brought her Dominican grandmother's teaching into the modern era. "Language is not a fixed algorithm to decode. It is fluid and flowering, as changing and heterogenous as we are."

Featured Review

"I think the concept is excellent and the settings give you a lot of freedom to set things up your way. You just need the motivation to listen, adjust and repeat. The content (stories) are really interesting and the different national accents really test your ears. But you improve!"

Thomas Reddick, Google Play Store review

★★★★

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Team Jiveworld