How to tell them apart
それで links a stated cause to a result or explanation, often in conversation when you grasp why something happened, as in いらっしゃらなかったんですね. そこで connects a situation to a decisive action taken in response, like ミーティングは延期せざるをえなくなった or ピザを注文した. Swapping them feels off because それで expects a natural consequence or understanding, whereas そこで expects a deliberate next step taken because of the situation.
- それで Use それで when the next sentence is a natural result or your reaction to a reason just stated.
- そこで Use そこで when someone takes a concrete action in response to the situation just described.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| それで sorede | So; for that reason; that's why | N4 |
| そこで sokode | Thus; consequently; because of that | N2 |
それで sorede
So; for that reason; that's why
それで is a conjunctive expression meaning "so" or "that's why," linking a stated reason or situation to what follows. It stands alone at the start of a sentence rather than attaching to a word. It also appears in phrases like それでかまいません to accept a suggestion.
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試験に通ったよ。それで、特待生になるんだ。
I passed the examination, and I'm going to be an honor student.
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それで何をしようとしているの？
And what are we going to do?
そこで sokode
Thus; consequently; because of that
そこで is a conjunctive adverb that connects two sentences, showing that the second is a result or consequence of the first, much like English "so" or "therefore". It stands at the start of the following sentence after a complete statement, and in the examples it can also sit before a noun when referring back to a place just mentioned.
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私は京都に行った。そしてそこでたまたま彼女にあった。
I went to Kyoto, where I happened to see her.
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私はビクトリア駅へ行った。そしてそこで旧友に会った。
I went to Victoria Station, where I saw an old friend of mine.
それで and そこで are JLPT N4–N2 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.