それで

それで is a conjunction that connects two sentences or ideas, indicating that the second statement is a natural result or consequence of the first. It translates to "because of that", "so", or "therefore".

Expressing cause and result

When placed at the beginning of a sentence (or between two clauses), それで signals that what follows is a consequence of what was previously stated.

Unlike だから, which can sound assertive or emphasize the speaker's reasoning, それで presents the result as a natural, objective outcome of the situation. It is less forceful and simply states what happened as a consequence.

Because それで presents a natural result, it is not typically used with sentences that express commands, requests, suggestions, or intentions (e.g. ～てください, ～ほうがいい, ～たい). In those cases, だから is more appropriate.

✗ 道が混んでいた。それで早く出てください。 (Unnatural – use だから instead)

Prompting someone to continue: "And then?" / "So?"

In conversation, それで is used on its own to encourage someone to keep talking – similar to saying "and then?" or "so what happened?" in English.

This usage shows interest in the story and prompts the speaker to share the next part.

Compared with similar conjunctions

• だから: More assertive; used when the speaker emphasizes the logical reason. Can be followed by commands or suggestions.
• そこで: Indicates that someone took action in response to a situation (more volitional).
• それで: Presents a natural, objective consequence – something that simply happened as a result.