Phrasal verb
depend on sb/sth
Definition
phrasal verb. To need someone or something for help or support. It can also mean that your plans might change because of something else.
phrasal verb. To rely on a person or thing for support; alternately, to be conditional upon or determined by a future event or variable. This is a prepositional verb.
Examples
“Babies depend on their parents for food.”
“Whether we go for a picnic depends on the weather tomorrow.”
“The success of the entire mission ultimately depends on securing the supply lines before the winter storms arrive.”
Examples
simple
“Babies depend on their parents for food.”
contextual
“Whether we go for a picnic depends on the weather tomorrow.”
complex
“The success of the entire mission ultimately depends on securing the supply lines before the winter storms arrive.”
Usage
The object can be a person, a thing, or a clause starting with 'whether', 'how', etc.
Teaching tip
Distinguish the two core meanings: 'to rely on for support' (e.g., depend on a friend) versus 'to be decided by' (e.g., it depends on the price).
Pitfall
It depends of the traffic.
It depends on the traffic.
The verb 'depend' always pairs with the preposition 'on', never 'of'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
depend + on + object