すると

す

る

と

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

Indicates a natural consequence or next action in a sequence. Often used in narratives or when describing a chain of events.

と

、

猫ねこ

が

飛と

び

出だ

し

て

き

た

。

I opened the door. Then, a cat jumped out.

角かどを曲まがった。すると、目めの前まえに海うみが広ひろがった。

I turned the corner. Then the sea spread out before my eyes.

2

Used to draw a conclusion or ask a question based on what was just said. Similar to 'if that's the case' or 'so then'.

そうすると
すると can simply mean 'and then' in a narrative sequence, while そうすると explicitly points back to a just-mentioned condition, meaning 'if that is so'.
それならN4sense 2
それなら is a casual, conversational way to say 'if that's the case', while すると in this sense is a bit more formal and often used to draw a logical conclusion.
それでN4sense 1
それで links events as 'and so' and can also imply a reason ('because of that'), whereas すると just marks the next event as a natural consequence without implying causation.
そこでN3sense 1
そこで introduces an action the speaker deliberately takes in response to a situation ('so I then...'), while すると describes what happened next as an observed, often surprising, consequence.

Derived from the verb する (to do) in its conjunctive form し plus the particle と (when/if), literally 'upon doing'. Grammaticalized into a conjunction.