て / で

The conjunctive forms て (for verbs and い-adjectives) and で (for な-adjectives and nouns) can express cause or reason, similar to "so", "because of", or "and so" in English. The first clause states a cause or reason, and the second clause states the result or consequence.

Formation

• Verb[て]: The te-form of the verb connects to the result clause.
• い-adjective: Drop い and add くて.
• な-adjective: Add で to the stem.
• Noun: Add で to the noun.

Expressing cause and result

The first clause naturally leads to the second clause as its consequence.

The causal relationship expressed by て/で tends to describe natural or unavoidable consequences – things that happen as a logical result of the first clause. It is softer than から or ので, which explicitly mark a reason.

Important restriction

Unlike から and ので, the second clause in a て/で causal sentence cannot be a command, request, invitation, or suggestion. The result must describe something that happens naturally or an involuntary reaction.

✗ 危なくて、気をつけてください。 ✓ 危ないから、気をつけてください。(It's dangerous, so please be careful.)

Emotional reactions

This pattern is especially common when describing emotional states and their results.

Negative form

The negative te-form (なくて) can also express cause.