connective N4 common casualpolitewritten
それでは — well then
それでは
Meaning
- well then / in that case / all right then — a transition that takes the current situation as settled and moves to the next step
Key sentence
それでは、会議を始めましょう。
Well then, let's begin the meeting.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence-initial | それでは、[next move]。 | それでは、また明日 |
Variants
それじゃ / じゃあ — casual contractions — それじゃ、また / じゃあ、行こう
Examples
全員そろいましたね。それでは出発します。
Everyone's here. All right then, we're off.
それでは、本日はこれで失礼いたします。
Well then, I'll take my leave for today.
When you can't use it
- It marks a transition or a wrap-up, not a logical result. For 'and so (as a consequence)', use それで; それでは won't carry a cause→effect reading.
Easily confused with
See それでは in real sentences
Jengo shows それでは the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.