🍅 The phrase that stops all time excuses [Day 3]

In partnership with

The Free Newsletter Fintech Execs Actually Read

If you work in fintech or finance, you already have too many tabs open and not enough time.

Fintech Takes is the free newsletter senior leaders actually read. Each week, we break down the trends, deals, and regulatory moves shaping the industry — and explain why they matter — in plain English.

No filler, no PR spin, and no “insights” you already saw on LinkedIn eight times this week. Just clear analysis and the occasional bad joke to make it go down easier.

Get context you can actually use. Subscribe free and see what’s coming before everyone else.

Sign Up Free

Morning! 😃 ☕️ 

Here's a mistake I made in Guadalajara: I used this phrase with my friends grandmother.

The words were perfect.

My pronunciation was solid.

But I violated a cultural rule about formality and age. Her grandmother smiled politely, but later my friend explained: you don't call out elders on their excuses, even gently.

That's not how respect works in Mexican family culture.

Today we're removing more words, but more importantly—you're learning when this phrase crosses the line from motivating to disrespectful.

Because in Spanish-speaking cultures, formality isn't about being fancy. It's about showing respect in situations where respect matters.

In today's email...

• 📱 Day 3: More words disappear—building your recall muscle

• 🌟 The formality lines you cannot cross with this phrase

• 🏃‍♂️ Three relationship tests before you deploy this phrase

📧 subscribe here \ yesterdays newsletter 📆

MEMORIZE 🧠

No es cuestión de tiempo, es cuestión de actitud. _____ tener todo el día libre y no _____ nada importante. O _____ tener solo _____ _____ y _____ el rumbo de tu _____. El tiempo es lo que _____ con él.

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

CULTURAL MOMENT 🍅

Let's be direct about formality: this phrase requires relationship capital. You cannot use this with your boss unless you have serious rapport. You cannot use this with someone older unless they've explicitly invited casual directness.

You cannot use this in the first month of knowing someone. Spanish-speaking cultures have clear rules about who can call out whom, and violating these rules damages relationships fast.

The formality spectrum works like this: perfectly appropriate with close friends your age, risky with colleagues unless you're tight, dangerous with anyone in a formal power position above you, and potentially offensive with elders.

The cultural logic: calling someone out on their excuses is an act of intimacy.

It says "I know you well enough to be honest about your patterns." If you don't actually have that relationship, you're assuming intimacy you haven't earned.

Here's the mistake Americans make constantly: they think directness shows confidence. In many Spanish-speaking cultures, directness without relationship shows disrespect.

A 28-year-old American telling a 55-year-old Mexican colleague "no es cuestión de tiempo, es cuestión de actitud" isn't being honest—they're being rude. Age hierarchy matters. Professional hierarchy matters. Family hierarchy matters deeply.

WORD SPOTLIGHT 🔍️ 

Today's disappeared words: hacer, diez, minutos

Hacer is the workhorse verb of Spanish—it means "to do" or "to make," and it appears everywhere. But here's what textbooks skip: Spanish speakers use "hacer" for time expressions in ways English doesn't.

"Hacer nada" means "to do nothing." "Hacer ejercicio" means "to exercise." "Hacer la cama" means "to make the bed." In this phrase, "no hacer nada importante" translates to "do nothing important," but culturally it's stronger—it's an accusation of wasting time. When you hear "hacer" paired with "nada," Spanish speakers are usually criticizing inaction.

The second "hacer" appears as "haces"—the "tú" form. "El tiempo es lo que haces con él" means "time is what you do with it." Notice how Spanish puts the action on you directly. English might say "time is what you make of it" which feels slightly more abstract. Spanish says "lo que haces"—what YOU do. This is the cultural worldview showing up in grammar: your actions determine outcomes, period.

Diez minutos (ten minutes) represents the contrast in this phrase—the tiny amount of time that can still change everything. Spanish speakers love this kind of dramatic contrast. "Todo el día" versus "diez minutos." Spanish rhetorical style builds power through extremes. You'll notice this in Spanish songs, poetry, regular conversation—people move between huge statements and tiny details to create emotional impact.

Here's a false friend warning: "minutos" looks like "minutes" and means the same thing, but Spanish speakers often use "un momento" (a moment) for short periods in casual speech. If you say "dame diez minutos" (give me ten minutes), you're being specific and probably formal. If you say "dame un momento," you're being casual and might actually mean twenty minutes. Context matters for time expressions.

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: "No es cuestión de tiempo, es cuestión de actitud. Puedes tener todo el día libre y no hacer nada importante. O puedes tener solo diez minutos y cambiar el rumbo de tu vida. El tiempo es lo que haces con él."

English: "It's not a question of time, it's a question of attitude. You can have the whole day off and do nothing important. Or you can have just ten minutes and change the direction of your life. Time is what you make of it."

Today's disappeared words: hacer, diez, minutos (note: "hacer" appears twice in the phrase—both as "hacer" and "haces")

 🍅 Could you help us grow?

Send this link to 4 friends and we’ll feature you in our newsletter next week (It’s Free!)

How was today's newsletter? Your feedback helps us create better Spanish content for you! (I read every single one!)

🎯 ¡Perfecto! My Spanish is growing →

📚 Está bien. Here's what would help →

See you tomorrow! - 🍅 The Phrase Café Team