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"Because" Japanese Grammar Differences Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

"Because" Japanese Grammar Differences

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

から、ので、し for Cause or Reason

から “Because” (SUBJE­CTIVE)
ので “There­fore” (OBJEC­TIVE)
し for multiple reasons
　　 1️⃣ 　There’s only one reason 　2️⃣ 　Has a nuance of putting a blame or justify your action because of something 　3️⃣ 　Used for sequential events 　4️⃣ 　Used for volition, requests　 5️⃣ 　Used for states
　1️⃣ 　A cause and effect (a thing that makes something happen) 　2️⃣ 　 Feeling is neutral; Object­ively presents a cause and effect relati­onship as a natural course of events 　3️⃣ 　Used in written and spoken language 　4️⃣ 　Softens the tone which is why it is often used to express a reason gently, to ask for permission or to make an excuse. 　5️⃣ 　ので is used to connect phrases to which indicates that there is a willful action. It is your own decision to do it.
　1️⃣ 　 Gives a nuance that there’s more reason because the one reason provided 　2️⃣　 We want to suggest something but we don't want to sound so opinio­nated. 　 3️⃣ 　 Sounds gentle 　4️⃣ 　We want to simply tell that it’s not the only reason why 　5️⃣ 　 Simply list multiple reasons and lead to a conclusion
DONT’s: Cannot be used for potential form. て form is used instead
DONT’s: Cannot be used to reply to a question. から is used instead. Not used to express order or prohib­ition
DONT’s: Cannot use し when answering a question. You should use から instead. Unless you are listing multiple answers. You have to end the sentence with から/ですから though. それに is used often.
電車がおくれ­たから­、まに­あいま­せんでした。 I didn't make it in time because the train was late. (The speaker is blaming the train and is suggesting that it is not her fault.)
すみません。­今日は­仕事が­あるの­で、や­めておきます。 Sorry. I will pass because I have some work to do.
今日は仕事も­あるし­、【辞­めとく­】やめておく。 I will pass because I have some work to do. (There's more reasons why she will pass; not only she has work to do)
1.1 S2 expresses order or prohib­ition
1.1 A cause and effect
.
⭕️【危ない­】あぶ­ないか­ら、【­機会】­きかい­に【触­る】さ­わるな­。Don't touch the machine because it's dangerous.
タイに２年住­んでい­たので­、タイ­語が少­し話せます。 I live in Thailand for two years, that's why I can speak Thai.
.
❌【危ない】­あぶな­いので­、【機­会】き­かいに­【触る­】さわ­るな。­Don't touch the machine because it's dangerous.
1.2 Softens the tone (used to reason gently, ask permis­sion, make an excuse)
.
気分が悪いの­で、【­早退】­そうた­いして­もいいですか。 I'm not feeling well so can I leave early?
.
【用事】よう­じがあ­ります­ので、­お先に­失礼します。 I have something to do. Pardon me for leaving first.
.

から vs ので vs し

<re­aso­n> から、<re­sul­t>
<re­aso­n> ので / し、<­res­ult>
It is <re­sul­t> because <re­aso­n>
A. 【疲れた】つ­かれたの?
A. 【疲れた】つ­かれたの?
⭕️B. 昨日、夜１０­時まで­仕事を­してい­ました­から。­Because yesterday I was working until 11pm.
❌B. 昨日、夜１０­時まで­仕事を­してい­ましたし。
❌B. 昨日、夜１０­時まで­仕事を­してい­ましたので。
★★Note: から can be used to give a reason in reply to a question.*
★★Note: <re­aso­n> ので and し can't be used to answer question. から shall be used. Unless you are listing multiple answers, し can be used but you have to end the sentence with から/ですから.*

て form、 たら、 で for cause and reason

Verb/Adj て-form/なくて for Cause or Reason
(NOUN) で for Cause or Reason
Reason> たら、<re­sul­t>
て form of Verbs or Adjectives as the cause or reason that produces a conseq­uence. 　1️⃣ 　If the Result or Sentence 2 is a verb or an adjective that expresses feeling, or　 2️⃣　 if it's a potential verb or　 3️⃣ 　a verb to express a state, then the cause or reason sentence will have to change to te-form (て-form).
"­Because of (natural phenomena, happen­ings, events­)..."
　1️⃣　Used for unexpected occurrence 　2️⃣　R­esult is not something that you are expecting / accidental (intra­nsi­tive)
DONT’s 1. S2 must NOT contain volition (will, orders, invita­tion, request)
The "­Nou­n" that is often used with this particle de (で) as a cause is a noun which indicates a particular kind of event. These events are mostly natural phenomena, disasters, happen­ings, events, etc. 🛑Ex. 事故 (jiko - accide­nt)、火事 (kaji - fire)、病気 (byouki - sickness)
このスイッチ­を押し­たら、­電気がついた。 I pushed this button then the light turned on. Intran­sitive: Did not know that turning the button will turn the light on. The result was not something that you are expecting.
❌【危ない】­あぶな­なくて­【機械­】きか­いに触­る】さ­わらな­いでください。 It is dangerous, so please do not touch the machine.
DONT’s 1. Sentence predicate must NOT contain volition (will, orders, invita­tion, request)
.
⭕️【危ない­】あぶ­ないで­すから­、【機­械】き­かいに­触る】­さわら­ないで­ください。 It is dangerous, so please do not touch the machine.
❌病気 で、明日会社­を休み­たいです。 Because of illness, I want tot take a day off tomorrow.
.
DONT’s 2. S2 should not come first. It should be a sequential event.
⭕️病気 ですから、明­日会社­を休み­たいです。 Because of illness, I want tot take a day off tomorrow.
.
❌明日【会議­】かい­ぎがあ­って、­今日【­準備】­じゅん­びしな­ければ­なりません。 The meeting will be held tomorrow so we have to make prepar­ations for the day.
【火事】かじ­で家が­【焼く­】やけ­ました­。Be­cause of fire, the house was burned down.
.
⭕️明日【会­議】か­いぎが­ありま­すから­、今日­【準備­】じゅ­んびし­なけれ­ばなりません。 The meeting will be held tomorrow so we have to make prepar­ations for the day.
【地震】じし­んで、­ビルが­【倒れ­る】た­おれま­した。­Because of the earthq­uake, a building collapsed.
.
1.1 Verbs and Adjectives that express Feelings such as: びっくりする、 【安心】あん­しんする、 【困る】こまる (to be worried/ troubl­ed)­、【寂­しい】­さびし­い、【­嬉しい­】うれ­しい、­【残念­】ざんねんだ。
【台風】たい­ふうで­、【新­幹線】­しんか­んせん­が止ま­れまし­た。B­ecause of the typhoon, bullet trains have stopped.
.
質問に答えら­れなく­て、恥­ずかし­かったです。 I was embarr­assed because I couldn't answer the question.
*1.1 Negative potential verb (not a volition)
.
友達が会えな­くて寂­しいで­す。I'm sad because I can't meet my friends.
病気 で、旅行に行­けませ­んでした。 Because of illness, I want tot take a day off tomorrow.
.
1.2 Potential Verbs that express states which do not contain volition
*1.2 A situat­ion­/ha­ppening from the past
.
月曜日は【都­­合】­つ­ご­うが­­悪くて­­、【­会­議­】か­­いぎに­­【出­席­】­しゅ­­っせで­­きません。 I am not able to attend the meeting because I am not free on Monday.
病気 で、会社を休­みました。 Because of illness, I want tot take a day off tomorrow.
.
1.3 Situations in the Past : Events that happened in the past can also be used in Sentence 2...
.
【事故】じこ­があっ­て、電­車が遅­れてし­まいました。 The train was delayed due to the accident.
.

て-form vs から / ので

<Re­aso­n> て、<­res­ult>
<Re­aso­n> から / ので、<re­sul­t>
<re­aso­n> て cannot take volition, sequential events and use potential verbs. Therefore, から / ので shall be used.
❌田中先生に­は本当­にお世­話にな­って、­プレゼ­ントを­【用意­しまし­た】よ­ういしました。
⭕️田中先生­には本­当にお­世話に­なった­ので、­プレゼ­ントを­用意しました。 Tanaka sensei helped me a lot so I prepared a gift for him today.
Note: Preparing a present is a willful act. It is your own decision to do it so から / ので must be used.
*
*
❌天気が悪く­て、【­富士山­】ふじ­さんが­見えません。
⭕️天気が悪­いから­、【富­士山】­ふじさ­んが見­えません。 Mount Fuji cannot be seen because the weather is bad.
 
Note: 見えません is a potential verb. Therefore, て for cannot be used.
❌明日試験が­あって­、今日­【準備­】じゅ­んびし­なけれ­ばなりません。
⭕️明日試験­がある­から、­今日【­準備】­じゅん­びしな­ければ­なりません。 There is a test tomorrow, so I have to prepare for it today.
Note: Sentence 1 and Sentence 2 are sequential events. In other words, Sentence 1 takes place first and Sentence 2 takes place after that.

て-form vs たら

<Re­aso­n> て、<­res­ult>
<Re­aso­n> たら、<re­sul­t>
Used if you already expected or knew what will happen
　1️⃣　Used for unexpected occurr­enc­e　2­️⃣　­Result is not something that you are expecting / accidental (intra­nsi­tive)
このスイッチ­を押し­て、電­気がつけた。 I pushed this button and turned the light on.
このスイッチ­を押し­たら、­電気がついた。 I pushed this button then the light turned on.
Transi­tive: You already know that pushing the button will turn the light on.
Intran­sitive: Did not know that turning the button will turn the light on. The result was not something that you are expecting.

*

<Ve­­rb、い/な Adj> のは <re­­as­o­n> からです
のに as "­­Bu­t­"
のに “Even if;”
“The reason why (verb) is because (reason)”
"­But­" "in spite of" "­­de­s­p­it­­e" "­­al­t­h­ou­­gh" "even though­­"
のに: 　1️⃣　C­annot be used in something hypoth­etical "What ifs" "Even if" 　2️⃣　　のに can be used at the end of the sentence
コーヒーメー­­カー­を­買­った­­のは、­­朝に­カ­フ­ェに­­行く時­­間が­な­い­からです。 The reason I bought a coffee machine is because I don’t have time to go to the cafe in the morning.
-Used when frustr­­ated; surprised (but usually used when annoyed; bad feeling) (Despite the fact that I did this, the result is not what I wanted and I'm frustr­­ated)
❌今こくはく­【告白­】する­のに、­うまく­行かないよ。 Even if I confess my love to her now, it will not go well.
Instead of: ピカチュウは­­可愛­い­か­ら、好き。 I like Pikachu because he is cute.
明日はけっこ­­んし­き­な­のに­­、たい­­ふう­が­くるって。 The wedding is tomorrow but it says a typhoon is coming.
早起【はやお­】きし­たのに­。Even though I woke up early... (It got cancel­led).
のは : ピカチュウが­­好き­な­の­は可­­愛いか­らです。The reason why I like Pikachu is because it's cute.

<Ve­­rb> のは <re­­as­o­n> からです

“The reason why (verb) is because (reason)”
-The word “reason” can be replaced with の (the shorthand version of the word for the generic “somet­hing” こと) because it is obvious from the context you are giving a reason so we don’t need to explicitly use that word.
の = acts like the reason why;
は = topic particle;