La farmacia queda lejos, así que voy a tomar un taxi.

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Questions & Answers about La farmacia queda lejos, así que voy a tomar un taxi.

Why does quedar mean is/located here? I thought quedar meant to stay/remain.

Quedar has several common meanings, and one of them (very frequent in Latin America) is to be located / to be (at a distance).

  • La farmacia queda lejos = The pharmacy is far (away) / is located far away.
  • Similar: La farmacia queda cerca (It’s close), Queda a dos cuadras (It’s two blocks away), ¿Dónde queda…? (Where is… located?).

The stay/remain meaning also exists (e.g., Me quedo en casa = I’m staying home), but context usually makes it clear.


Could I say La farmacia está lejos instead? What’s the difference?

Yes. La farmacia está lejos is perfectly correct and very common.

Typical nuance:

  • Está lejos focuses more on the state/distance (it’s far).
  • Queda lejos often sounds more like its location ends up being far / it’s situated far, and it pairs naturally with directions and distances (queda a 10 minutos, queda por el centro, etc.).

In everyday conversation, they’re often interchangeable.


Why is lejos placed after the verb? Can it go elsewhere?

Lejos is an adverb, and it commonly goes after the verb:

  • La farmacia queda lejos. (most natural)

You can move it for emphasis, but it’s less neutral:

  • Lejos queda la farmacia. (more literary/emphatic; not the default)

What does así que mean exactly, and how is it different from entonces or por eso?

Así que introduces a result/consequence: so / therefore.

Common options:

  • …, así que … = …, so …
  • …, entonces … = …, so/then … (often more conversational; can also mean “then” in a time sequence)
  • …, por eso … = …, that’s why / for that reason … (a bit more explicitly “because of that”)

In your sentence, así que is a very natural “cause → result” connector.


Why is there a comma before así que?

In Spanish, when así que connects two clauses (reason → consequence), it’s very common to separate them with a comma:

  • La farmacia queda lejos, así que voy a tomar un taxi.

It helps mark the pause and the logical connection. In casual writing people sometimes omit it, but the comma is standard and clear.


Why does Spanish use voy a tomar here instead of just a future tense like tomaré?

Ir a + infinitive is a very common way to express a planned or immediate future, similar to English going to:

  • voy a tomar = I’m going to take (I plan to / I’m about to)

Tomaré un taxi (simple future) is also correct, but it can sound:

  • a bit more formal, or
  • more like a decision/promise, depending on context.

For everyday speech, voy a + infinitive is extremely common.


Is tomar un taxi the normal way to say take a taxi in Latin America?

Yes. In most of Latin America, tomar un taxi is standard.

Other common verbs you may hear:

  • agarrar un taxi (very common in some countries; informal)
  • pedir un taxi (to request/order one, e.g., via phone/app)
  • llamar un taxi (to call one)

In Spain, you’ll often hear coger un taxi, but in much of Latin America coger can be vulgar, so tomar is the safe choice.


Why is un used? Could it be el taxi?

Un taxi means a taxi (any taxi), which fits the idea of choosing that mode of transport.

You could use el taxi in certain contexts, usually when it’s understood as a general service or something already established:

  • Voy a tomar el taxi can sound like I’m going to take the taxi (we’ve been talking about / the one that’s coming / the usual one).

Most of the time, un taxi is the default.


Why isn’t yo included? Shouldn’t it be yo voy a tomar?

Spanish often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject:

  • voy clearly indicates I.

You can add yo for emphasis or contrast:

  • … así que yo voy a tomar un taxi (y tú puedes caminar). It’s not required in a neutral sentence.

What are the key pronunciation/accent points in this sentence?
  • farmacia: stress on ma → far-MA-sia
  • queda: KEH-da (in most Latin America, d is softer between vowels)
  • lejos: LEH-hos (with an English-like h sound for j)
  • así has an accent mark because the stress falls on the last syllable: a-
  • voy a often runs together in speech: voi-a
  • tomar: to-MAR
  • taxi: TAK-si (common pronunciation in Latin America)