Learn Spanish (Latin America): El juego es complicado, así que tendríamos que pensar bien la jugada. - The game is complicated, so we would have to think carefully about the move.

El juego es complicado, así que tendríamos que pensar bien la jugada.

The game is complicated, so we would have to think carefully about the move.

Breakdown of El juego es complicado, así que tendríamos que pensar bien la jugada.

Questions & Answers about El juego es complicado, así que tendríamos que pensar bien la jugada.

Could I use por lo tanto instead of así que in this sentence?

Yes, you could! Both are consecutive connectors that link a cause (the game is complicated) to its result. así que is the most natural choice for everyday conversation, translating perfectly to "so." por lo tanto means exactly the same thing but sounds slightly more formal, closer to "therefore" or "consequently" in English.

Why use tendríamos que instead of just tenemos que?

tendríamos is the conditional tense ("we would have to"), which softens the statement. Instead of giving a direct command, it makes the idea sound like a recommendation, a strategy, or a hypothetical scenario. If you used the present tense tenemos que ("we have to"), it would sound like a strict, unavoidable obligation.

Why does bien mean "carefully" here instead of "well"?

While bien translates literally to "well," Spanish frequently uses it to describe doing an action thoroughly or properly. When paired with verbs related to focus—like pensar (to think), mirar (to look), or escuchar (to listen)—adding bien usually means doing it "carefully" or "closely."

The English translation says "think about the move." Why doesn't the Spanish sentence use en (pensar en la jugada)?