A それはそうと B。

A Sore wa sou to B

JLPT N2 Neutral Chapter 94: N2: Topic Shift (By The Way), 3 of 4

Formation

Sentence A + それはそうと + Sentence B

Changing the topic; 'by the way', 'speaking of which'.

When to use

"By the way" as a deliberate topic change.

Explanation

The grammar point A それはそうと B is used to change the topic or bring up a new subject in a conversation. It can be translated as 'by the way' or 'speaking of which' in English. It's used to connect two unrelated sentences or ideas, with A being the original topic and B being the new topic brought up.

Example sentences

それはそうと、今日きょうの天気てんきはいいですね。

By the way, the weather is nice today, isn't it?

Sore wa sou to, kyou no tenki wa ii desu ne.
映画えいがは面白おもしろかったです。それはそうと、この店みせのラーメンはおいしいですよ。

The movie was interesting. Speaking of which, this restaurant's ramen is delicious.

Eiga wa omoshirokatta desu. Sore wa sou to, kono mise no raamen wa oishii desu yo.
明日あしたから夏休なつやすみですね。それはそうと、新あたらしいカフェがオープンしたみたいです。

Summer vacation starts tomorrow, huh? By the way, it seems a new cafe has opened.

Ashita kara natsu yasumi desu ne. Sore wa sou to, atarashii kafe ga oopun shita mitai desu.
昨日きのうの試験しけんは難むずかしかった。それはそうと、週末しゅうまつにパーティーがあるのを知しってますか？

Yesterday's exam was difficult. Speaking of which, do you know there's a party this weekend?

Kinou no shiken wa muzukashikatta. Sore wa sou to, shuumatsu ni paatii ga aru no wo shitte masu ka?

Topic Shift (By The Way)

Compare when to use each