したがって details
Examples
therefore; accordingly — states the conclusion or decision that the preceding statement compels
会員数は三年連続で減少している。したがって、料金体系の見直しが必要である。
kaiinsuu wa sannen renzoku de genshou shite iru. shitagatte, ryoukin taikei no minaoshi ga hitsuyou de aru.
Membership has fallen for three consecutive years. The fee structure therefore needs to be reviewed. formal
この時間帯は道が非常に混みます。したがって、車ではなく電車で向かう必要があります。
kono jikantai wa michi ga hijou ni komimasu. shitagatte, kuruma de wa naku densha de mukau hitsuyou ga arimasu.
The roads are extremely congested at this hour. You therefore need to travel by train rather than by car. neutral
台風の接近が予想されております。したがいまして、明日の催しは中止とさせていただきます。
taifuu no sekkin ga yosou sarete orimasu. shitagaimashite, asu no moyooshi wa chuushi to sasete itadakimasu.
A typhoon is forecast to approach. We will accordingly be cancelling tomorrow's event. formal
Formation
したがって、clauseattaches to plain clause
Notes
not: ×この車は燃費がいい。したがって、値段も安い。
→ この車は燃費がいい。その上、値段も安い。
Related patterns
Similar
だから argues the speaker's own case and, aimed at the person being answered, easily reads as impatience; したがって claims the conclusion follows from what was just established rather than from anyone's stance, which is why it fills papers, reports and formal notices and never appears in a quarrel.
そのため names the previous sentence as the CAUSE of the next and takes a plain happening after it (大雪が降った。そのため、電車が止まった); したがって draws an inference or a ruling from it, so what follows is a conclusion or a decision — 「したがって、電車が止まった」 reads as though the stoppage were deduced rather than caused.
それで belongs to conversation and reports what actually followed; したがって is written-register and asserts a logical step, so the two never trade places — a research paper with それで in it reads as chatty, and a spoken anecdote with したがって reads as a lecture.