riippuu

Riippuu is the present tense, third-person singular form of the Finnish verb riippua, meaning to depend on or to hinge on. In everyday Finnish it is used to express that the outcome, decision, or situation rests on a particular condition or factor. The basic sense can apply to people, circumstances, time, or other conditions.

Usage and examples: Riippuu situations and context. Common phrases include Se riippuu tilanteesta (It depends on the situation) and Riippuu siitä, mitä haluat tehdä (It depends on what you want to do). Another frequent construction is Riippuu, onko sinulla aikaa (It depends on whether you have time). At times riippuu can stand alone at the start of a sentence to signal conditionality, similar to the English phrase “It depends.”

Grammar and related forms: Riippuu is intransitive and typically governs a dependent clause or a phrase indicating the condition. The adverbial participle riipuen means “depending on” and is used to extend statements relative to a condition, as in Riipuen tilanteesta, teemme päätöksen (According to the situation, we will make a decision). Related words include riippuvainen (dependent), and riippuvuus (dependency or dependence; note that in Finnish, riippuvuus can also refer to addiction in some contexts).

Etymology and usage notes: The verb riippua shares its root with other Finnish words describing dependence or attachment, and the sense of “hanging on” has influenced the figurative use to express reliance on a factor. Riippuu is extremely common in both spoken and written Finnish when discussing conditions, uncertainty, or conditional outcomes.

See also: riippuvainen, riippuvuus, riippua.