Fíjase que….

A very important phrase to know in Honduras is ‘fijase que’, when you hear this said you have to hold on and get ready because it means something went wrong. The English translation would be something like ‘I’m really sorry but…’. It’s amazing how much of a part of the Honduran culture this phrase is, all you have to do is say ‘fijase que…’ give a awkward face and people know what’s up. It’s usually used when people make promises or schedule things and then have to back out of the commitments, which is very frequent. Part of the reason for it’s prevalence is that, in general, Hondurans aren’t very confrontational, they would rather commit to doing something to your face knowing full well that they will have to back out of it later than seemingly letting you down on the spot. This sucks when all your work has to be planned with other people, especially in schools and organizations; they are the masters of the ’fijase que’.