さて

さて means "now then", "well": it opens a sentence and moves on to the next thing – the next topic, the next step, the next job. It stands at the very start, usually followed by a comma.

Meetings, lessons and speeches use it to mark the next part. In a letter or a formal email, さて follows the opening greeting and starts the business of the message.

さて or ところで

ところで means "by the way": it jumps sideways to something unrelated. さて moves forward to what comes next, often the main point you were heading for.

Talking to yourself

Said to yourself, さて is "right" or "OK then" as you get up to do something, or "hmm" as you wonder what to do next.