Because with から

～から ~ kara Because; so

Put から (kara) after a reason to say "because". The reason comes first and the result second, the opposite of the usual English order.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Linking ideas
English links: because, so, sentence fragments, clause order

What it means

から after a sentence gives a reason. 雨ですから、行きません means "It is raining, so I will not go." The reason comes first, then から, then the result.

It joins to both polite and casual forms: 忙しいですから, 忙しいから. In casual speech, a noun or a な-adjective needs だ before から: 雨だから, 暇だから. Do not mix it up with から after a plain noun, which means "from": 学校から, from school.

You will often hear the result left out. A student says 頭が痛いですから… and stops, and the listener fills in the rest. People also answer a どうして (why) question with only the reason and から: 忙しいですから。

For us as English teachers, the key point is order. Japanese says reason, then result. English with "because" usually says result, then reason. That flip is behind many of the odd "because" sentences you see in student writing.

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Polite sentence + から polite sentence + kara	Polite style: 忙しいですから, 行きますから.
Verb or い-adjective (plain) + から plain form + kara	Casual style: 行くから, 寒いから.
Noun / な-adjective + だから noun / na-adjective + da kara	Casual: 雨だから, 暇だから. Polite: 雨ですから, 暇ですから.
Reason から、result reason kara, result	The reason always comes before から.

Examples

雨ですから、今日はテニスをしません。 ame desu kara, kyou wa tenisu o shimasen. It is raining, so we will not play tennis today.
時間がありませんから、急いでください。 jikan ga arimasen kara, isoide kudasai. We have no time, so please hurry.
明日はテストですから、今晩勉強します。 ashita wa tesuto desu kara, konban benkyou shimasu. I have a test tomorrow, so I will study tonight.
寒いですから、窓を閉めましょう。 samui desu kara, mado o shimemashou. It is cold, so let's close the window.
どうして休みましたか。熱がありましたから。 doushite yasumimashita ka. netsu ga arimashita kara. Why were you off? Because I had a fever.

How English says it

English has two common ways to say this. "Because" goes before the reason: "I will stay home because it is raining." "So" goes before the result: "It is raining, so I will stay home." The から order, reason then result, matches "so", not "because".

In writing, a "because" clause cannot stand alone as a sentence. "Because it was raining." is a fragment, which means half a sentence. In speech, as a short answer to "Why?", it is fine.

Why it can make English hard

から comes right after the reason, so many students put "because" right after the reason too: "It was raining because I stayed home." The meaning flips.
Japanese often stops after から with no result. In English writing, that gives fragments like "Because I was tired." on their own line.
Some students use both "because" and "so" in one sentence, as if each needs its own link word: "Because it was cold, so I stayed home."

Mistakes you will hear

It was raining because I stayed home. It was raining, so I stayed home. The Japanese order with "because" in the から spot. Use "so", or move the reason: "I stayed home because it was raining."
Because it was cold, so I wore a coat. Because it was cold, I wore a coat. Use "because" or "so", not both.
I was late. Because the train stopped. I was late because the train stopped. In writing, join the "because" clause to the main sentence.

In the classroom

Give pairs of cards: a reason and a result. Students join them two ways, with "so" and with "because". Then ask which one keeps the から order. The answer is "so".
Draw an arrow from reason to result. から and "so" point the same way. "Because" points back to the reason.
Ask "Why?" questions in class and accept short "Because..." answers in speech. Then show that in writing the answer needs its main sentence.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 暑いです＿、窓を開けます。 (It is hot, so I will open the window.)

Answer: から

The reason, 暑いです, comes first. から joins it to the result.
2. Translate: 疲れましたから、早く寝ます。

Answer: I am tired, so I will go to bed early. (or: I will go to bed early because I am tired.)

The から order matches "so". With "because", the reason moves to the end.
3. A student writes "I studied hard because I passed the test." Fix it.

Answer: I studied hard, so I passed the test. (or: I passed the test because I studied hard.)

The student put "because" where から goes. "Because" must come before the reason.
4. A student writes "Because I was busy, so I didn't call you." Fix it.

Answer: Because I was busy, I didn't call you. (or: I was busy, so I didn't call you.)

Use one link word, not two.