すると

About

すると at the start of a sentence has two primary uses: ① linking two actions chronologically ("A. Then, B"), and ② creating logical "If A, then B" statements.

① E.g. 窓まどを開あけた。すると猫ねこが入はいってきた。 "I opened the window. Then a cat came inside."

② E.g. とするとホテル到着とうちゃくは真夜中まよなかを過すぎますね。 "That means we'll be arriving at the hotel past midnight."

すると sounds fairly literary and should be substituted for そうしたら・そしたら・したら in spoken contexts.

すると can link two actions chronologically in either the past or future.

Usage ① and ② can be distinguished through the surrounding context.

Summary

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  すると at the start of a sentence has two primary uses: ① linking two actions chronologically ("A. Then, B"), and ② creating logical "If A, then B" statements

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  すると is mainly used in literary contexts

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  Usage ① and ② can be distinguished through the surrounding context