Japanese 250 - Explain why using ので

Besides から, you can also use the similar conjunction ので to explain reasons.

The main differences between から and ので are:

  1. While から is used in both casual and formal situations, ので is considered more formal.
  2. ので can only be used if the speaker believes that the listener agrees that the part before ので is a reason for what follows.
  3. You can't use ので to form suggestions, invitations, commands or requests.

After verbs and い-adjectives, you can use ので in exactly the same way as から.

There is a slight difference in syntax between から and ので when used after a noun or a な-adjective however. When using ので, we attach the ending -な at the end of the noun or な-adjective that precedes ので.

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