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Ayer vimos una rata, así que nos echamos a correr.

Ayer vimos una rata, así que nos echamos a correr.
Yesterday we saw a rat, so we took off running.
From Lesson 243:Sudden actions (echarse a)·Spanish (Latin America)

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?
It is in the past tense (preterite). For regular -ar verbs like echar, the "we" form is spelled exactly the same in both the present and the preterite tenses: echamos. We know it's in the past tense here because of the context clue at the very beginning of the sentence: Ayer (yesterday).

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