Learn Danish: Det var også på tide!

In Danish, it is very common to use the past tense var to comment on an action that has just finished or a situation you have just realized. Because the long wait is finally over, you look back at it. You will also hear this in phrases like Det var godt! meaning 'That is good!'

What role does også play in this sentence?

Literally meaning 'also,' også acts as a small emphasis word (a modal particle) here. It gives the feeling of 'finally' or matches the 'too' in 'And about time too!' Without it, Det var på tide! just means 'It was about time!' but adding også gives it an extra punch of relief or impatience.

Does på tide mean exactly the same thing as 'on time'?

No, på tide specifically means 'about time' or 'high time' (meaning something is long overdue). If you want to say that a train arrived punctually 'on time,' you would use the phrases til tiden or i tide.

Could I say Det er også på tide! using the present tense er instead?

Yes, you can! You use er if the event has not happened yet but urgently needs to (like saying 'It is high time we leave!'). You use var, like in this sentence, when the delayed thing has just finally happened and you are expressing your relief.