GRAMMAR DETAIL
そして
Adds a related fact or action after the preceding sentence.
Examples
窓を開けました。そして、部屋を掃除しました。
I opened the window. Then I cleaned the room.
Words used
彼は医者です。そして、父親でもあります。
He is a doctor. He is also a father.
Words used
宿題を終えました。そして、友達に電話しました。
I finished my homework. Then I called my friend.
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure:
そしてis a single modern connector that links one sentence to the next. - Basic usage: It adds a related action or fact to what was stated before.
- In the example about opening a window and cleaning a room, it presents the next action in sequence.
- In the example about being a doctor and a father, it links two facts that are true of the same person.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- Addition and sequence
そしてcan add a fact that coexists with the first statement as well as a following action.- Translating every use as ‘after that’ distorts cases of simultaneous factual addition.
- と for noun lists
とin本と地図joins two nouns, whileそしてbetween sentences links two statements.
- だから for cause
- A later event is not necessarily caused by the event mentioned first.
だからhas a different role when a reason-and-result relation is stated directly.
- しかし for contrast
そしてadds related content, whileしかしintroduces contrast or something contrary to expectation.