Breakdown of Ayer vimos una rata, así que nos echamos a correr.
una
a, an (feminine)
ver
to see / to look / appear
correr
to run
ayer
yesterday
Questions & Answers about Ayer vimos una rata, así que nos echamos a correr.
Why use nos echamos a correr instead of just corrimos?
The phrase echarse a followed by an infinitive (like correr) is a special verb combination used to show that an action started suddenly or unexpectedly. While corrimos just means "we ran", nos echamos a correr emphasizes the sudden, panicked reaction: "we took off running" or "we burst into a run".
Could I use empezamos a correr here instead?
Yes, you could. Empezamos a correr simply means "we started to run." However, nos echamos a correr fits the story of seeing a rat much better because it adds drama. You will most often see echarse a used for sudden emotional or physical reactions, like running (correr), crying (llorar), or laughing (reír).
Why is there a nos before echamos?
The verb combination for "to suddenly start" is strictly reflexive: echarse a. Since the subject of the sentence is "we", you must use the matching reflexive pronoun nos. If you drop the nos, the base verb echar means "to throw" or "to cast", which wouldn't make sense here!
Is echamos in the present tense or the past tense here?