Reason & Conjunction

Introduction

Explaining why something happens and connecting ideas logically is crucial for coherent speech. Japanese offers several ways to express cause, reason, and to link related thoughts together.

Each conjunction carries a slightly different nuance, from casual to formal.

Themes

All Japanese Grammar Basic in This Chapter (15)

1. ～から (source/starting point) から Indicates a starting point in space, time, or the origin of something. It marks where an action begins, where something comes from, or th...
2. ～てから (after doing) てから Indicates that one action takes place after another action is completed. It emphasizes the sequential order, meaning the second action oc...
3. ～から (reason/cause) から A subordinate conjunction that expresses a reason or cause, connecting a reason clause to a result clause. It translates as 'because' or ...
4. ～ので (because) ので A subordinate conjunction expressing a reason or cause, similar to から but softer and more polite. It presents the reason as an objective ...
5. ～なくて (not... and so) なくて The て-form of the negative auxiliary ない, used to indicate a cause or reason for a resulting state or emotion. It expresses that something...
6. ～ないで (without doing) ないで The negative て-form of a verb meaning 'without doing' something. It indicates that an action is performed while another action is left un...
7. ～ために (for the purpose of / because of) ために A noun-based expression indicating either a purpose ('in order to') or a reason/cause ('because of'). When expressing purpose, it is foll...
8. ～し (and what's more) し A conjunction used to list multiple reasons, qualities, or facts in an emphatic way. It implies there are additional reasons beyond what ...
9. そして (and then) そして A coordinate conjunction that connects two sentences, indicating a natural continuation or addition. It links sequential events or adds r...
10. それから (after that / and also) それから A conjunction indicating either temporally contiguous actions ('after that' / 'and then') or listing additional items ('and also' / 'furt...
11. それで (and so / therefore) それで A conjunction indicating that what is stated in the preceding sentence is the reason or cause for what follows. It translates as 'and so,...
12. すると (thereupon / and then) すると A coordinate conjunction connecting two sentences where the second describes an unexpected discovery or an immediate natural consequence ...
13. それでは (well then) それでは A conjunction meaning 'well then' or 'in that case,' used to transition to a new action or decision based on the current situation. It is...
14. それなら (if that is the case) それなら A conjunction meaning 'if that is the case' or 'if so,' used to propose an action or make a suggestion based on information just received...
15. それとも (or) それとも A coordinate conjunction connecting two alternatives expressed by sentences or clauses. It is used when asking someone to choose between ...