connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
すると — thereupon / and then
すると
Meaning
① and then / thereupon: and then ~ / thereupon ~ — sentence-initial; the next event happens or becomes apparent right after the previous one, often unexpectedly
② in that case: in that case / so then ~ — draws a conclusion from what the other person just said
Key sentence
① and then / thereupon
ドアを開けた。すると、猫が飛び出してきた。
I opened the door. Thereupon, a cat came leaping out.
② in that case
すると、君も知らなかったんだね。
So then, you didn't know either.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence-initial connective (stands at the head of a sentence) | [Sentence]. すると、[Sentence] | …した。すると、… |
Examples
① and then / thereupon
ボタンを押した。すると、画面が消えた。
I pressed the button, and then the screen went dark.
② in that case
全員欠席？すると、会議は中止だね。
Everyone's absent? In that case, the meeting's off.
Easily confused with
そうすると すると just links to what follows. そうすると explicitly picks up 'doing that / that being so' from the previous statement, making the connection to the prior action or premise overt. 〜と (conditional) The conditional と joins two clauses inside one sentence (押すと開く). すると is the standalone sentence-opener version — it starts a new sentence reacting to the last one.
See すると in real sentences
Jengo shows すると 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.