🍅 García Márquez on trust [Day 1]

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Morning! 😃 ☕️ 

You know that moment when someone lets you down... and you're not sure if you can trust them again?

We have a phrase for this.

In today's email…

• 📱 Day 1: The full García Márquez quote that Spanish speakers use for workplace trust

• 🌟 Why this phrase makes you sound emotionally intelligent in Spanish

• 🏃‍♂️ The exact moment to use this in your next Spanish conversation

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MEMORIZE 🧠

Siempre habrá gente que te lastime, así que lo que tienes que hacer es seguir confiando y solo ser más cuidadoso en quién confías dos veces.

As always, the answer key and audio are at the bottom of this email.

CULTURAL MOMENT 🍅

García Márquez didn't just write novels. He wrote the emotional vocabulary that Spanish speakers use to handle the messy parts of life.

This quote gets repeated at family dinners, workplace conflicts, and anywhere Spanish speakers need to address trust without sounding bitter.

Here's where you'll hear this phrase: When a colleague misses a deadline and your team needs to move forward.

When someone asks if you can forgive a friend who hurt you. When your boss wants to know if you'll work with someone who messed up before.

Spanish speakers use this quote because it does something textbook phrases can't — it acknowledges pain while maintaining dignity.

The phrase works because it refuses to be naive. "Siempre habrá gente que te lastime" (there will always be people who hurt you) — that opening doesn't sugarcoat reality.

Spanish-speaking cultures value emotional honesty over fake positivity. When you start with this acknowledgment, you signal that you're not a fool. You've been hurt. You know how the world works.

But then comes the shift: "seguir confiando" (keep trusting). This is where the cultural intelligence lives.

In Hispanic professional culture, being known as someone who can't trust again makes you difficult to work with. The phrase gives you a way to stay open without looking weak. You're not the person who writes everyone off. You're the person who understands that trust is necessary for anything to work.

The final clause — "solo ser más cuidadoso en quién confías dos veces" (just be more careful about who you trust twice) — is the practical wisdom that makes this quotable. It's not about cutting people off.

It's about upgrading your judgment. Spanish speakers appreciate this distinction. You can use this phrase when someone asks if you're still angry about a past situation. It tells them: I've moved on, but I'm not naive about it.

WORD SPOTLIGHT 🔍️ 

Today's key words: lastime, confiando, cuidadoso

Lastime comes from "lastimar" (to hurt). In medical Spanish, it means physical injury. But in emotional contexts like this quote, it means hurt feelings or betrayal.

When Spanish speakers say "me lastimó" (he/she hurt me), they're usually talking about emotional wounds, not broken bones. The word carries weight because it treats emotional pain as real injury, not drama.

Confiando is the present participle of "confiar" (to trust). The -ando form shows continuous action — you're actively trusting, not just trusting once and walking away.

This matters in workplace Spanish. "Estoy confiando en ti" (I am trusting in you) sounds more committed than "confío en ti" (I trust you).

García Márquez chose this form because the quote is about maintaining trust as an ongoing practice, not a one-time decision.

Cuidadoso means "careful," but it's built from "cuidado" (care). Being "cuidadoso" isn't paranoid or fearful — it's showing care in your judgment.

When you tell someone "voy a ser más cuidadoso" (I'm going to be more careful), Spanish speakers hear wisdom, not bitterness.

This word lets you set boundaries without sounding closed off.

HEAR THE SPANISH AUDIO 🍅

Pro tip: Listen three times.

Once for general meaning.

Once following along with the text.

Once with your eyes closed, focusing purely on pronunciation and rhythm.

ANSWER KEY ✅

Spanish: "Siempre habrá gente que te lastime, así que lo que tienes que hacer es seguir confiando y solo ser más cuidadoso en quién confías dos veces."

English: "There will always be people who hurt you, so what you have to do is keep trusting and just be more careful about who you trust twice."

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See you tomorrow! - 🍅 The Phrase Café Team