dipendere

Dipendere is an Italian verb that means to rely on or to be contingent upon something or someone. It is used to express how outcomes, circumstances, or decisions are determined by external factors, rather than by the subject alone. The verb often appears with the preposition da to indicate the source or cause of the dependence, as in dipendere da qualcuno o da qualcosa.

Etymology and sense include a shift from the Latin dependere, which literally meant to hang down or be subordinate. The figurative meaning developed in Italian to indicate dependency, influence, or condition.

Grammar and usage: Dipendere is a regular -ere verb with the stem dipend-. Its present indicative forms are dipendo, dipendi, dipende, dipendiamo, dipendete, dipendono. The present subjunctive uses the same stem: che io dipenda, che tu dipenda, che lui dipenda, che noi dipendiamo, che voi dipendiate, che loro dipendano. The imperfect is dipendevo, dipendevi, dipendeva, dipendevamo, dipendevate, dipendevano. The verb also forms the future as dipenderò, dipenderai, dipenderà, dipenderemo, dipenderete, dipenderanno. In ordinary speech, the standalone form dipende is used as a short answer meaning “It depends” in response to a question.

Examples of common usage include: dipende da te (it depends on you); non dipende da me (it doesn’t depend on me); questo progetto dipende dai finanziamenti (this project depends on the funding). The verb can convey conditionality, responsibility sharing, or strategic planning, and it appears in both everyday conversation and formal writing.

See also: dependent, dependence, Italian verbs in -dere.