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Era tarde, así que cogimos un taxi.

Era tarde, así que cogimos un taxi.
It was late, so we took a taxi.
From Lesson 173:Linking ideas (por eso, así que, sobre todo)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Era tarde, así que cogimos un taxi.

Why is it era tarde and not estaba tarde?
When talking about the time of day, Spanish always uses the verb ser, not estar. Just like you say es tarde for 'it is late' in the present, you use era tarde for 'it was late' in the past.
Why does the sentence use the imperfect tense (era) and then the preterite tense (cogimos)?
This is a classic mix of past tenses! The imperfect (era) sets the background scene or describes the situation ('it was late'). The preterite (cogimos) is used for the specific, completed action that happened because of that setting ('we took a taxi').
Does así que just mean 'so'?
Exactly. así que is a very common fixed phrase that means 'so' or 'therefore'. It connects a situation to its result. Even though así by itself usually means 'like this', together with que it becomes a useful transition phrase.
I've heard the verb coger is a bad word. Is it okay to use here?
Yes, it is perfectly safe and normal in Spain! In Spanish from Spain, coger is the standard verb for 'to take' or 'to catch' a mode of transport (like coger un taxi or coger el tren). In some Latin American countries, it is a rude slang word and they use tomar instead, but in Spain, nobody will think twice about it.

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