Chiune Sugihara: He Wrote Visas Day and Night… and Saved Thousands of Lives
In 1940, hundreds of Jewish families stood outside a small office in Lithuania. His government said no, but Chiune Sugihara wrote more than 2,000 visas by hand — until his train left. Learn five A2 words and how to use until with the true story of Chiune Sugihara.
Coming 29 November 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
In 1940, hundreds of families stood outside a small .
One man had a .
This is the story of Chiune Sugihara.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. An is a place where people work at desks.
Many families stood outside his .
. A is the group of people who lead a country.
His said no.
. A is a document that lets you go into a country.
They needed a to Japan.
. You write with a .
He wrote every with a .
. When you something, you write your name on it.
He more than 2,000 .
Now, one pattern: until.
It means up to that time.
He wrote until his train left.
Ready? Let's begin.
Chiune Sugihara was from Japan.
In 1940, he worked for Japan in Kaunas, in Lithuania.
He lived there with his wife and children.
One summer morning, many families stood outside his .
They were Jewish families running from the war.
They waited from morning until night.
They needed a to Japan.
He asked Tokyo.
His said no.
What could he do?
He talked with his wife.
Then he decided to help.
He wrote every with a .
He was tired, but he did not stop.
He more than 2,000 , many for whole families.
Then the closed.
He wrote at his hotel.
He wrote at the train station, too.
He wrote until his train left.
The families went across Russia, and then by ship to Japan.
After the war, he lost his job.
But today, many thousands of people are alive because of him.
Let's review. Many families stood outside his .
His said no.
They needed a to Japan.
He wrote every with a .
He more than 2,000 .
And remember: he wrote until his train left.
Chiune Sugihara's story teaches us: one person can save many lives.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
office noun
a place where people work at desks
“Many families stood outside his office.”
government noun
the group of people who lead a country
“His government said no.”
visa noun
a document that lets you go into a country
“They needed a visa to Japan.”
pen noun
a thing you write with, using ink
“He wrote every visa with a pen.”
sign verb
to write your name on something
“He signed more than 2,000 visas.”
diplomat noun
a person who works for their country in another country
“He was a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania.”
stamp noun
a small tool that prints a mark on paper
“Each visa got a stamp.”
handwriting noun
writing done by hand with a pen
“Every visa was in his own handwriting.”
Grammar in the story
until + time / clause
We use it for: to say that something continues up to a time, and then stops
- He wrote visas until his train left.
- They waited from morning until night.
From the story
- He wrote visas until his train left.
- They waited from morning until night.
Find it in the story 5 times
Your turn
He wrote visas his train left.
They waited from morning until .
I stayed at school five o'clock.
Step 4
Story Challenge
8 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Have you ever needed a visa? What do you need to travel to another country?
After you watch: Write three sentences with until. For example: I studied until ten o’clock. We waited until the bus came. She stayed at the party until midnight.
Think about it: His government said no, but he helped anyway. When is it right to say yes when others say no?
