At a glance
それが starts a reply that goes against what the other person expects or hopes. It is like "Actually..." or "Well, the thing is...", and it often sounds a little apologetic.
A。それが、B。
「宿題は終わった？」「それが、まだなんだ。」 "Did you finish your homework?" "Well, actually, not yet."
How to form it
A is usually the other person's question or assumption. それが starts the reply, and B gives the real situation.
| Part | Where it goes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | The other person's question or assumption | 明日、来るよね。 |
| それが | Start of the reply, usually followed by a comma | それが、 |
| B | What is really true, different from A's expectation | 行けなくなったんだ。 |
| Register | Form |
|---|---|
| Casual | それが、～んだ。 / それがね、～ |
| Polite | それが、～んです。 / それがですね、～ |