そこで

そこで is a conjunction meaning "so," "therefore," "accordingly," or "and so." It is used at the beginning of a sentence (or clause) to introduce an action or decision that someone takes as a natural response to the situation described in the preceding sentence.

Key characteristic: volitional actions

A key feature of そこで is that the clause following it almost always describes a deliberate action or decision – something someone actively chose to do in response to a situation. It does not typically introduce natural consequences, emotions, or states that happen on their own.

Compare this with それで or だから, which can introduce both volitional actions and non-volitional results:

• ✅ 雨が降ってきた。それで遅刻した。 (It started raining. So I was late.) – non-volitional result → それで OK - ❌ 雨が降ってきた。そこで遅刻した。 – Being late is not a deliberate action → そこで is unnatural here

Usage notes

そこで is used in written language, presentations, and storytelling. It often appears in narratives to move the story forward by describing what action was taken next.

It can also be used to introduce a question or proposal in a meeting or discussion setting:

そこで vs. それで

Both can mean "so/therefore," but そこで emphasizes a purposeful response to a situation, while それで simply connects cause and effect more broadly. それで is also more conversational, while そこで is slightly more formal and structured.