Last time, you learned how to express time clauses, e.g. “大学生のとき、オーストラリアを旅行しました (When I was a university student, I traveled to Australia).” Time clauses allow you to more precisely express when actions and events take place. Then, if you would like to say, “I traveled to Australia because my brother lived there” what should you say? In this lesson, you will learn how to express reasons.
Explanation for Usages of …から and …ので
| Table of Contents …から …ので Difference between から and ので |
There are two main sentence patterns used to express reasons, which are から and ので. Since they have very similar conjugations and functions, you can easily use them in conversation. However, the similarity sometimes confuses learners. Therefore, we will explain the usages in detail while paying attention to the differences.
Reasons: …から and …ので
…から
| 体調が悪い（です）から | 今日は学校を（休む / 休みます） |
| Reason | Conclusion |
| As for today, [I] will be absent from school because [I] am under the weather. | |
The function is to express reasons like “because,” “since,” and “so.” The から part is generally placed at the beginning. The conjugation is simple. You can directly attach から to any part of speech, which includes the polite form. As for nouns and na-adjectives, don’t forget to keep the state-of-being style, i.e. to add だ like 元気だから.
| 今日本は夏（だ / です）から、とても暑い（です）よ。 [It’s] very hot because [it’s] summer in Japan now. |
| 日本の魚は美味しい（です）から、お薦め（だ / です）よ。 Japanese fishes are delicious, so [they are my] recommendations. |
| 雪が（降った / 降りました）から運転しない方がいい（です）よ。 [You] shouldn’t drive because [it] snowed. |
When you request or invite, reasons can be like conditions or arrangements.
| 祭りがあるから、一緒に（行かない / 行きませんか）？ There is a festival. Won’t [you] go with me? |
| このパンが美味しいから食べてみて（ください）。 This bread is delicious, so please try to eat [it]. |
As you know, the Japanese language really likes omissions. Surprisingly, even the conclusion part can be omitted when contexts are clear. Actually, you can omit it even if contexts are unclear. This is a kind of technique in conversation. By letting listeners imagine conclusions, you can tell more of what you want to say when compared with not omitting it.
| ひどい渋滞だね。 => 祭りがあるから。 [It] is a terrible traffic jam. => Because there is a festival. |
| 待っているから。 [I] am waiting. *She expects listeners to do something for her. |
…ので
| 体調が悪い（です）ので | 今日は仕事を（休む / 休みます） |
| Reason | Conclusion |
| As for today, [I] will be absent from work because [I] am under the weather. | |
The function is almost the same as から. The difference is that you add な instead of だ when you use nouns and na-adjectives like 元気なので. ので sound a little more formal than から and is preferred in business situations.
| 明日は休み（な / です）ので、家で勉強（する / します）。 Tomorrow is a day off, so [I] will study at home. |
| タクシーは高い（です）ので乗れ（ない / ません）。 [I] cannot take a taxi because [it’s] expensive. |
| 机を（運ぶ / 運びます）ので、手伝ってもらえ（る / ますか）？ [I] will carry the desk. Can/could [you] help [me]? |
| 夜は危ない（です）ので、外に出てはいけ（ない / ません）。 [You] must not go out because [it’s] dangerous at night. |
| ご飯は食べないの？ => うん、体調が悪いので。 Won’t [you] eat a meal? => No, because [I’m] under the weather. |
の will become ん when you speak casually. However, in author’s opinion, this sounds a little masculine and is not recommended if you are female.
| 明日は休み（な / です）んで、家で勉強（する / します）。 |
| タクシーは高い（です）んで乗れ（ない / ません）。 |
| 机を（運ぶ / 運びます）んで、手伝ってもらえ（る / ますか）？ |
| 夜は危ない（です）んで、外に出てはいけ（ない / ません）。 |
| ご飯は食べないの？ => うん、体調が悪いんで。 |
[adsense]
Difference between から and ので
1. You Can Only Use から with だろう
| 雨が降るだろうから、早く家に（帰ろう / 帰りましょう）。 [It] will probably rain, so let’s go home early. |
=>Wrong! |
When you use だろう and the polite form: でしょう which give a nuance of “probably,” you can only use から.
2. Only から Has a Special Sentence Pattern: …のは…からだ
| 休むのは | 体調が | 悪いから（だ / です） |
| Reason | Subject | Predicate: Reason |
| [The reason why I will] be absent is that [I’m] under the weather. | ||
This is a sentence pattern to emphasize something. The の of のは comes from the particle の, which functions as a replacement noun. The original sentence should be 休む理由は. With this sentence pattern, you can only use から. For reference, you can utilize this for other topics to emphasize something. Sentences don’t have to end with から if other things are replaced with の.
| 私が日本に行くのは富士山があるから（だ / です）。 The reason why I will go to Japan is that there is Mt. Fuji. |
| 私が食べたいのは寿司（だ / です）。 The foods which I want to eat is sushi. |
| 私が行きたいのは京都（だ / です）。 The place where I want to go is Kyoto. |
If we don’t use the のは sentence pattern, the above example would be like this:
| 私が日本に行く理由は富士山があるから（だ / です）。 |
| 私が食べたい食べ物は寿司（だ / です）。 |
| 私が行きたい場所は京都（だ / です）。 |
3. You Can Ask Reasons by Only Using から
| 外が危ないから、家にいないといけない（の / んですか）？ Do [I] have to stay at home because [it’s] dangerous outside? |
=>Wrong! |
When questions practically indicate reasons, you have to use から.
| 外が危ないから、家にいないといけないん（だ / です）。 [You] have to stay at home because [it’s] dangerous outside. |
=>Wrong! |
Similarly, when you respond to such questions, から is more suitable. The above is a response to a question which asks something like “Why do I have to stay at home?”
Summary
- When you use nouns and na-adjectives, you need だ for から and な for ので.
- から and ので can be used with the polite form.
- ので sound a little more formal than から.
- You can only use から with だろう and でしょう.
- When sentences particularly indicate reasons, から is more suitable.
Please keep in mind that it’s kind of rare to see people connect the polite form with these sentence patterns. Generally, Japanese expresses politeness by the end of sentences. Thus, by using the polite form in the middle, it may look very polite and be more suitable for formal situations than everyday life. Next, you will learn a similar expression: how to express aims.
Time Clauses: …とき, …てから, …後で, …前に, …あいだに, and …うちに
How to Express Aims: …ために, …に, …のに, and …ように
