JLPT N5 Grammar: から （Reason）

You probably are already familiar with one of the uses for から, the indication of where an action is coming from. Here's an example:

彼はアメリカから来た。
かれ　は　アメリカ　から　きた。
He came from America.
Literally: "He + は + America + から + came."

This is not what we will be looking at today. Instead, we will see how you can express reasons for the things you do.

So here's what I'm talking about:

もう暗いから、気をつけて帰りなさい。
もう　くらい　から、　き　を　つけて　かえりなさい。
It's dark outside already, so be careful on your way home.
Literally: "Already + dark + から + be careful (and) + go home"
Note: ～なさい is a polite imperative, mostly used by superiors and parents.

When you see it's dark outside and someone is heading home only now because he didn't watch the time, you might want to give them a short warning. So you tell them to be careful because it's dark.

If you are having trouble when reading these sentence, try to associate から with 'because' and the whole sentence before it is the sentence coming after 'because', as that should work most of the time. Here is the translation rewritten: "Because it's dark already, be careful on your way home."

注射が怖いですから、病院は行きたくないんです。
ちゅうしゃ　が　こわい　です　から、　びょういん　は　いきたくない　んです。
I don't want to go the the hospital because I think injections are scary.
Literally: "Injection + が + scary + です + から + hospital + は + do not want to go + んです"

Here is a more polite sentence. As you can see, から comes after だ/です, so you can extrapolate from here that there is always an independent sentence before から. You can also just say 注射が怖いです "Injections are scary," and that's completely correct.

エアコンは高いから、扇風機を買おう。
エアコン　は　たかい　から、　せんぷうき　を　かおう。
Air-conditioners are expensive, so let's buy an electric fan instead.
Literally: "Air-conditioner + は + expensive + から + electric fan + を + let's buy"

浩二：どうして髪を切ったの？
こうじ：　どうして　かみ　を　きった　の？
Kouji: Why did you cut your hair?
Literally: "Kouji: Why/for what reason + hair + を + cut + の"

さとみ：暑いからよ。
さとみ：　あつい　から　よ。
Satomi: Because it's hot.
Literally: "Satomi: Hot + から + よ"
Note: 暑いからよ is feminine language. The masculine version would be 暑いからだよ.

This is something you will see very often in casual conversations. When somebody asks you why you did or didn't do something, you can just say <cause>から. Very handy and short.

こっち見ないでね。着替えるから。
こっち　みないで　ね。　きがえる　から。
Don't look this way. (Because) I'm changing.
Literally: "This way/over here + don't look + ね + change clothes + から"
Note: When there is just the て form at the end of a sentence, what is omitted there is ください. This omission makes it a causal request.

Same goes for one person talking.You can just add the reason as an afterthought.

This lesson was written by Dennis, a guest contributor: