GrammarJLPT N5
→ therefore
So / Therefore (Consequence Conjunction)
JLPT N5ConjunctionNeutral
それで is a conjunction used to connect two sentences where the first sentence describes a cause or reason and the second sentence describes a natural or inevitable result. It translates to "so," "therefore," or "and because of that." Unlike だから, which can sound assertive or emphatic and is frequently used when the speaker is making a subjective judgment about the reason, それで tends to present the cause-and-effect relationship more objectively and matter-of-factly. It literally breaks down into それ ("that") and で (a particle indicating cause/means), so the underlying nuance is "with that being the case." それで is also commonly used in conversation as a prompt meaning "and then?" or "so what happened?" to encourage the other person to continue their story. It belongs to a neutral register and can be used in both spoken and written Japanese without sounding overly formal or casual.
Functions
#1 Expressing a natural consequence
Structure
Sentence A (cause)。それで、Sentence B (result)。
きのう雨がふりました。それで、サッカーの試合は中止になりました。
Here それで connects the cause (rain) to a result that followed naturally from it (the game being canceled). The speaker is not making a subjective judgment but simply reporting what happened as a factual chain of events. This objective, narrative quality is a hallmark of それで when used to express consequences.It rained yesterday. So, the soccer game was canceled.
Structures
- General pattern
- Sentence A (reason/cause)。それで、Sentence B (result/consequence)。
Common mistakes
A common mistake is confusing それで with だから. While both mean "so" or "therefore," だから carries a more subjective, emphatic tone and is often used when the speaker wants to stress the reason, whereas それで presents the connection more objectively. Another frequent error is using それで when the second sentence expresses the speaker's intention, suggestion, or command — in such cases, だから or そこで is more appropriate because それで typically leads to factual outcomes rather than volitional actions. Learners also sometimes confuse それで with そこで, which specifically marks the moment someone decides to take action in response to a situation, giving it a more deliberate nuance. Finally, some learners omit the comma after それで in writing; while not strictly grammatical, the comma helps readability and mirrors the natural pause in speech.
Related
だからそのためそこでしたがってで (conjunction)