Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El mapa con la dirección nos ayudó, así que no nos perdimos. - The map with the address helped us, so we didn’t get lost.

Here it means address (street, number, etc.). English often uses plural directions for instructions, but in Spanish that sense is las indicaciones or las instrucciones. So:

el mapa con la dirección = the map with the address on it.
If you meant “with the directions,” say el mapa con las indicaciones.

Why el mapa and not la mapa even though it ends in -a?

Mapa is masculine (it’s a Greek-origin noun). A few nouns ending in -a are masculine, e.g., el problema, el día, el planeta. So you say el mapa detallado, not la mapa.

What does the comma before así que do? Is it necessary?

Así que is a coordinating conjunction meaning “so/therefore.” A comma before it is standard to separate the two clauses. In very short sentences you might omit it, but the comma is preferred. Don’t put a comma after así que.

What is nos doing in nos ayudó and no nos perdimos?

In nos ayudó, nos is a direct object pronoun: “helped us.”
In no nos perdimos, nos is a reflexive pronoun with perderse (“to get lost”). Spanish uses nos for both roles; the verb tells you which function it has.

Why use the preterite (ayudó, nos perdimos) instead of the imperfect?

You’re describing completed, one-off events: the map helped at a specific time, and you didn’t get lost as a result. The imperfect (ayudaba, nos perdíamos) suggests ongoing/background or habitual actions, which doesn’t fit here.

Could I say no nos perdemos or no nos hemos perdido?

no nos perdemos = present (“we don’t get lost” in general), not right for a past trip.
no nos hemos perdido = present perfect. In Spain this is common for actions that happened “today” or with current relevance. For a finished trip in the past, no nos perdimos (preterite) is the neutral choice; if it was earlier today, Spaniards might say no nos hemos perdido.

Where do the pronouns go? Why not ayudó nos or perdimos nos?

Clitic pronouns go before a conjugated verb: nos ayudó, no nos perdimos. They attach to infinitives, gerunds, and affirmative commands:

ayudarnos, no perdernos
Ayúdanos (Help us), No nos ayudes (Don’t help us)

Can I replace así que with por eso, entonces, or something else?

por eso = “that’s why”; a bit more formal/natural with a pause: ..., por eso no nos perdimos.
entonces mainly means “then/at that time.” Used as “so” more in Latin America; in Spain it’s possible but less idiomatic in this causal sense.
Other options: de modo que, por lo tanto (more formal), con lo cual (very common in Spain). All typically take a pause/comma before them.

What’s the difference between perder and perderse?

perder = to lose something: Perdimos el mapa (We lost the map).
perderse = to get lost (reflexive): Nos perdimos (We got lost). Use the reflexive form to talk about people losing their way.

Why does ayudó have an accent, but perdimos doesn’t?

Preterite 3rd person singular of -ar verbs ends in -ó with an accent (stress on the last syllable): ayudó. perdimos (1st person plural) follows regular stress rules and needs no accent (stress on the penultimate syllable).

Is con la dirección the best phrasing? How can I clarify it’s written on the map?

It’s fine and idiomatic. To be explicit:

con la dirección escrita en el mapa
con la dirección apuntada en el mapa Both state the address is written on the map.

Could I use nos sirvió instead of nos ayudó?

Yes. Nos sirvió means “it was useful to us/it served us.” It emphasizes usefulness rather than active help, but both are natural:

El mapa con la dirección nos sirvió, así que...

Do I need the article in la dirección? Could I say con dirección?

Use the article: con la dirección. Without it, con dirección a X means “heading toward X” (different structure with a). To refer to a specific address you have, Spanish takes the definite article.

Is there a more concise way to express the cause?

Yes: Gracias al mapa con la dirección, no nos perdimos. Using gracias a with a comma is very idiomatic in Spain.

Can I make it one clause with an infinitive?

Yes: El mapa con la dirección nos ayudó a no perdernos. Same idea, embedding the result as an infinitive instead of a second clause with así que.