Grammar - So


So

Most of the time in English, so really means"therefore" and translated in german as "also":

Es ist schon 7 Uhr, also fangen wir an!
It's already 7 o'clock, so let's start!

Ich wohne im Stadtzentrum, also brauchen keinen Wagen.
I live downdown, so I don't need a car.

In German, "so" means "in this/that way" , or "like so":

Ich habe es nicht so gemeint.
I didn't mean it like that.

It also means "as" in phrases like:

Er ist so groß wie ich.
He is as tall as I (am).

It also means "such" in phrases like:

Er ist so ein Feigling!
He is such a coward!

Some of the few instances where so DOES translate as so:

Das ist auch nicht so wichtig!
That's also not so important!

Wir kommen in einer Stunde oder so.
We'll arrive in an hour or so.