can で particle be used to say "and"

Question

I saw some example sentences where the で particle was used to say "and", can't you just use "と" or "し"? Why was で used?

Answer 1

In modern Japanese, で is used as the conjunctive (basically, "[VERB] and...") conjugation of the basic copula ("to be" verb) だ.

Since だ means "is", で then means "is, and".

Examples:

• 電車【でんしゃ】は便利【べんり】で、毎日【まいにち】乗【の】ります。
  The train is convenient, and I use it every day.
• フェラーリは車【くるま】で非常【ひじょう】に高【たか】い。
  A Ferrari is a car, and it is extremely expensive.
• 私【わたし】は人間【にんげん】で、空【そら】を飛【と】ぶことはできません。
  I am a human, and I cannot fly in the sky.

Meanwhile, と just means "and" when listing things, and includes no "to be" sense.

• 人参【にんじん】とキャベツのサラダ
  a salad of carrots and cabbage
• 栗【くり】とリンゴを使【つか】ってケーキを作【つく】る
  to make a cake using chestnuts and apples

(It must be lunchtime, I keep thinking about food. 😄)