dépend

Dépend is the third-person singular present indicative form of the French verb dépendre, from which it derives its meaning. The infinitive dépendre means to depend or be contingent on, to rely on, or to be determined by something else. In use, dépend is followed by a complement introduced by de, or by a subordinate clause.

Etymology and related forms: dépendre comes from Latin dependere, literally “to hang down” or “to be dependent.” The present tense forms include je dépends, tu dépends, il dépend, nous dépendons, vous dépendez, ils dépendent. The noun dependance or dépendance refers to a state of dependence or a dependency relation, while the present participle dépendant describes someone or something that is dependent.

Usage and meaning: dépend expresses that something is conditioned by another factor. It is common in both factual statements and conditional expressions. Examples include: Cela dépend du budget. (That depends on the budget.) Le succès dépend de la coopération de chacun. (Success depends on everyone’s cooperation.) The impersonal phrase Cela dépend is often used to indicate uncertainty or variability.

Common constructions: dépends de, dépend de, dépendre de + noun (or clause). It can also appear in questions and negations: De quoi cela dépend-il? or Cela ne dépend pas de moi. The form with de plus a noun or clause is the standard way to express conditional or contingent relationships in French.

See also: dépendance, dépendant, dépendre. These terms extend the concept from a simple verb form to the broader notions of reliance, obligation, or structural dependency in linguistics and sociology.