And then: そして and それから

そして・それから soshite, sorekara And; after that

そして (and) adds a new idea, それから (after that) gives the next step. Both start a new sentence, which many students copy in English.

Level: JLPT N5, beginner
Type: Linking ideas
English links: conjunctions, sequencing words, lists

What it means

そして means "and" at the start of a sentence. It adds one more fact or the next event. この部屋は広いです。そして、明るいです. This room is big. And it is bright.

それから means "after that" or "and then". It puts actions in order: 朝ご飯を食べました。それから、学校へ行きました. It can also add one more item to a list: pencils, notebooks, and also an eraser.

Both words are useful for beginners, and you will hear them a lot. But they start a new sentence. English usually joins ideas inside one sentence. That is why so many student diaries read "And then... And then... And then...".

How to build it

Pattern	How it works
Sentence。そして、sentence。 sentence. soshite, sentence.	Adds a fact or the next event. A little more written in tone.
Sentence。それから、sentence。 sentence. sorekara, sentence.	After that. Puts actions in order. Very common in speech.
Noun と noun、それから noun noun to noun, sorekara noun	Adds one more item to a list: and also.

Examples

朝ご飯を食べました。それから、学校へ行きました。 asagohan o tabemashita. sorekara, gakkou e ikimashita. I had breakfast, and then I went to school.
この部屋は広いです。そして、明るいです。 kono heya wa hiroi desu. soshite, akarui desu. This room is big and bright.
授業が終わりました。それから、部活を見に行きました。 jugyou ga owarimashita. sorekara, bukatsu o mi ni ikimashita. Classes finished, and after that I went to watch the club practice.
鉛筆とノート、それから消しゴムを持ってきてください。 enpitsu to nooto, sorekara keshigomu o motte kite kudasai. Please bring a pencil, a notebook and an eraser too.
田中さんは先生です。そして、私の友達です。 tanaka-san wa sensei desu. soshite, watashi no tomodachi desu. Tanaka-san is a teacher, and he's also my friend.

How English says it

English joins most of these with "and" inside one sentence: "I had breakfast and went to school." For order, it uses "then", "after that" or "after breakfast". Good writers mix these so the story does not repeat itself.

Starting a sentence with "And" is not wrong, but in a school essay a string of them sounds childish. In lists, English puts "and" only before the last item: a pencil, a notebook and an eraser.

Why it can make English hard

そして and それから start new sentences, so many students write short sentences that each begin with "And" or "And then".
Japanese joins nouns with と, but uses そして or the て-form for verbs and adjectives. English uses "and" for all of them, which students do not always expect.
Some learners translate それから as "after that" every time, so one paragraph repeats it four or five times.

Mistakes you will hear

I studied. And then, I watched TV. And then, I slept. I studied, watched TV and then went to bed. Join the actions in one sentence. Use "then" once, near the end.
After that I went home. After that I ate dinner. Then I went home and had dinner. Vary the words, and join two short actions with "and".
This room is big. And, it is bright. This room is big and bright. Two adjectives about one thing sit together with "and".

In the classroom

Collect a few real student diary entries (with names removed). Students cut the "And then"s and join the sentences. Then read the before and after aloud.
Give a word bank: then, after that, after school, later, finally. Students retell their day and must use each word once.
Picture stories work well. Show four pictures of a morning routine and ask students to tell it in two sentences, not four.

Practice

Try each one, then open it to check.

1. Fill the gap: 宿題をしました。＿＿＿＿、テレビを見ました。 (I did my homework. After that, I watched TV.)

Answer: それから

それから puts the actions in order: after that.
2. Translate: この店は安いです。そして、おいしいです。

Answer: This restaurant is cheap and good.

English joins the two adjectives with "and" in one sentence.
3. A student writes "I got up. And I ate breakfast. And I went to school." Fix it.

Answer: I got up, ate breakfast and went to school.

Join the three actions in one sentence. "And" goes before the last one only.