Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi abuelo dice que la juventud de hoy vive conectada al mundo entero gracias a los conciertos y torneos deportivos mundiales. - My grandfather says that today’s youth lives connected to the whole world thanks to concerts and global sports tournaments.

la juventud = “youth” as a collective noun (like “the youth of today”)
Because it’s singular, the verb must be singular:
- Correct: la juventud de hoy vive…
- Incorrect: la juventud de hoy viven…

English often uses “young people” (plural), but Spanish here is using a collective singular, so the verb form follows the grammar, not the “real-world” number of people.

Why is “conectada” feminine and singular in “vive conectada al mundo entero”?

Conectada is an adjective (actually a past participle used as an adjective) that must agree with the noun it describes:

Noun: la juventud (feminine, singular)
Adjective: conectada (feminine, singular to match)

So:

la juventud… vive conectada
If the subject were masculine singular:
- el público joven vive conectado…
If the subject were plural:
- los jóvenes viven conectados…
- las jóvenes viven conectadas…

In Spanish, participles used as adjectives always agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

Why is it “vive conectada” and not “está conectada”?

Both are possible, but the nuance changes slightly:

vive conectada = “lives connected”
- Emphasizes a way of life, a general condition or lifestyle.
- Suggests this is a stable, characteristic situation.
está conectada = “is connected”
- Emphasizes the current state at a given time.
- Sounds more like a temporary or factual description.

In the sentence, the idea is how today’s youth lives in general, so vive conectada fits better than está conectada.

Why do we say “mi abuelo dice que…”? Could we drop the “que”?

In Spanish, when you report what someone says, thinks, believes, etc., you almost always use que to introduce the clause:

Mi abuelo dice que la juventud de hoy vive conectada…

You cannot normally drop que here:

Incorrect / very odd: Mi abuelo dice la juventud de hoy vive conectada…

Que is required as a linker between dice and the reported statement (the subordinate clause). It works a bit like “that” in English, but unlike English, in this structure Spanish does not usually omit it.

Why is the verb “dice” in the present tense? Would “dijo” also work?

Both can work, but they mean different things:

Mi abuelo dice que…
- Present tense.
- Either he regularly says this, or you are reporting what he currently thinks/says.
- Sounds like a general opinion he has.
Mi abuelo dijo que…
- Preterite (past).
- Refers to something he said on a specific occasion in the past.

In this kind of general, timeless comment about society, the present dice is very natural in Spanish.

Why “la juventud de hoy” and not “los jóvenes de hoy”?

Both are correct, but the nuance is slightly different:

la juventud de hoy
- More abstract, collective: “today’s youth” as a group or concept.
- Sounds a bit more formal or “sociological.”
los jóvenes de hoy
- More concrete: “young people today.”
- Focuses more on the individual people.

In this sentence, la juventud de hoy fits a more reflective, general statement from the grandfather about “youth” as a generation.

Does “de hoy” mean literally “of today,” or can it mean “nowadays”?

Literally, de hoy = “of today,” but in this phrase la juventud de hoy is normally understood as:

“today’s youth”
“youth nowadays”
“young people of our time”

So de hoy here has the broader meaning of “in our times / nowadays,” not only “this specific calendar day.” Context gives it that more general sense.

Why is it “vive conectada al mundo entero” and not “con el mundo entero”?

Both are possible, but “conectada al mundo entero” is very idiomatic:

conectada al mundo entero
- Literally: “connected to the whole world.”
- Uses a to show the direction or link: connected to something.
conectada con el mundo entero
- Literally: “connected with the whole world.”
- Also correct, but al (a + el) is more common in this “online / communication” sense.

In many contexts of technology and communication, Spanish prefers conectado/a a [algo] (“connected to [something]”).

Why is it “al mundo entero” and not just “al mundo”?

Both are grammatically correct, but the meanings are slightly different:

al mundo
- “to the world” in general.
al mundo entero
- “to the entire world,” “to the whole world.”
- Adds emphasis: not just some parts of the world, but everyone, everywhere.

Entero intensifies the idea of global reach, which fits well with “worldwide concerts and sports tournaments.”

What exactly does “gracias a” mean here? Is it like saying “thank you to”?

No. In this sentence, gracias a means:

“thanks to”
“because of” (in a positive or at least neutral sense)
“due to”

So:

…vive conectada al mundo entero gracias a los conciertos y torneos deportivos mundiales.
- “…lives connected to the entire world thanks to worldwide concerts and sports tournaments.”

It does not mean “thank you to the concerts…” Here it introduces the cause or reason for the situation, not an expression of gratitude directed at someone.

Why is it “conciertos y torneos deportivos mundiales” and not “conciertos y torneos mundial”?

Agreement and structure:

Mundiales is plural to match the plural nouns:
- Nouns: conciertos (plural) and torneos (plural)
- Adjective: mundiales (plural)
- So: conciertos y torneos… mundiales.
Word order and grouping:
- torneos deportivos = sports tournaments
  - deportivos specifies the type of tournaments.
- mundiales modifies both conciertos and torneos deportivos:
  - worldwide concerts
  - worldwide sports tournaments

You could also say:

conciertos mundiales y torneos deportivos mundiales
- More explicit, repeats mundiales twice.
conciertos y torneos deportivos de nivel mundial
- “of world level,” also possible but slightly different style.

Why are the adjectives after the nouns: “torneos deportivos mundiales” instead of “mundiales torneos deportivos”?

In Spanish, adjectives generally follow the noun:

torneos deportivos mundiales
- tournaments (torneos)
- that are sports-related (deportivos)
- and worldwide (mundiales)

Putting adjectives before the noun is possible but usually:

Changes the nuance (more subjective, poetic, emotional).
Sounds odd or unnatural with some adjectives.

So:

torneos deportivos mundiales = neutral, normal description.
mundiales torneos deportivos would sound very unnatural here.

Why is there no subjunctive after “dice que”? Should it be “viva conectada”?

After decir que, you use indicative (vive) when you are reporting what someone says as a statement of fact or opinion, not as a command or wish:

Mi abuelo dice que la juventud de hoy vive conectada…
- He states/believes that this is true.
- Use vive (indicative).

You use subjunctive after decir que mainly when it expresses a command or request:

Mi abuelo dice que viva conectado al mundo entero.
- “My grandfather says that he should live connected…” (a kind of order/wish)
- Very different meaning, and strange in this context.

Here, it’s clearly a statement of opinion about reality, so vive (indicative) is the correct form.