したがって

したがって is a formal connective meaning “therefore” or “as a result.” It is used to draw a conclusion or to indicate a consequence that follows logically from what has been stated previously. It tends to be found in written Japanese, reports, essays, or formal speech. It often replaces or reinforces the more common therefore constructions like だから or その結果 when a more formal tone is desired. The clause before したがって is typically in a past tense form (Vた, だな-形, etc.), and the following clause describes the outcome or conclusion. It cannot be used with casual conversation in the same way as だから; reserve it for formal contexts.