afhangt

Afhangt is not a standard Dutch lemma. In contemporary Dutch the verb is afhangen, and the present tense of the third-person singular is two words: hij/zij/het hangt af. The single string afhangt is generally considered nonstandard or a typographical variant and is not used as the normative form. The meaning remains “to depend,” most often with the preposition van: Het hangt af van de omstandigheden. A related, common construction is het hangt er vanaf, meaning “it depends on that.”

Etymology and sense

Afhangen derives from the prefix af- combined with hangen (to hang). The figurative sense “to depend” developed from the idea of something hanging as a condition or factor determining an outcome. The phrase is widely used in everyday Dutch to express conditionality or uncertainty.

Usage and grammar

The standard present tense is formed with het hangt af (and with plural: ze hangen af). The expression can also be intensified with eraan of ervan: Het hangt ervan af. Other acceptable variants include Het hangt er vanaf of ... and Het hangt af van de situatie. The past tense is hing af; the participle is afgehangen, used with have: Het heeft afgehangen.

Related forms

Afhankelijk is an adjective meaning dependent, and afhankelijkheid is dependency. The antonym is onafhankelijk, meaning independent. These forms are common in administrative, academic, and everyday language, including phrases like een afhankelijke positie or onafhankelijk nadenken.

See also

Afhangen; afhankelijk; onafhankelijk; afhankelijkheid.

Note

Afhangt is described here as a nonstandard spelling of the standard two-word form hangt af. In formal writing, the two-word form is preferred.