La biglietteria era chiusa, così abbiamo usato una macchinetta automatica.

The ticket office was closed, so we used a vending machine.

Breakdown of La biglietteria era chiusa, così abbiamo usato una macchinetta automatica.

• essere: to be
• usare: to use
• così: so
• noi: we
• la biglietteria: the ticket office
• chiuso: closed
• la macchinetta automatica: the vending machine

Questions & Answers about La biglietteria era chiusa, così abbiamo usato una macchinetta automatica.

Why is la used with biglietteria?

In Italian, biglietteria is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine definite article la. Most nouns ending in -eria (like pasticceria, gelateria, etc.) tend to be feminine.

Why do we say era chiusa instead of era chiuso?

Because biglietteria is feminine, the adjective chiusa must agree with the gender of the noun. If it were a masculine noun, we would use chiuso instead.

What does the imperfect era convey here compared to other past tenses?

Era is the imperfect tense, which suggests a past state or situation without emphasizing when it started or ended. It describes a background condition: the ticket office was closed at that time. Using something like è stata chiusa (the present perfect) would give a different nuance, focusing on the action of getting closed rather than its continuous state.

How is così functioning in this sentence?

Here, così means "so" or "therefore," showing the consequence of the ticket office being closed. It links the first part of the sentence (La biglietteria era chiusa) with the second part (abbiamo usato una macchinetta automatica).

Is macchinetta automatica a common expression?

Yes, it's quite common to call a ticket machine a macchinetta automatica, although sometimes people just say biglietteria automatica. You’ll see it at train stations, metro stations, or bus stations where you can buy tickets from an automated device.