После прилёта мы не стали брать такси и доехали до центра на автобусе.

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Breakdown of После прилёта мы не стали брать такси и доехали до центра на автобусе.

• и: and
• не: not
• мы: we

Questions & Answers about После прилёта мы не стали брать такси и доехали до центра на автобусе.

Why is прилёта in the form прилёта and not прилёт?

Because после requires the genitive case.

• прилёт = nominative
• после прилёта = after the arrival / after arriving

So this is a standard pattern:

• после урока = after the lesson
• после работы = after work
• после прилёта = after the arrival / after arriving

Also note that прилёт is a noun, not a verb. Russian often uses a noun where English might prefer a clause like after we arrived.

What exactly does не стали брать mean?

Не стали + infinitive is a very common Russian pattern meaning:

• didn’t start to
• didn’t go ahead and
• decided not to

So мы не стали брать такси does not literally focus on the physical act of “starting.” It means something like:

• we decided not to take a taxi
• we didn’t end up taking a taxi

This construction is often softer and more natural in Russian than a very direct negative.

Compare:

• мы не взяли такси = we didn’t take a taxi
• мы не стали брать такси = we decided not to take a taxi / we chose not to take a taxi

The second version suggests a choice.

Why is it брать такси and not взять такси?