dépendre de

Definition & meaning

The phrase dépendre de is a reflexive-like construction used to describe a relationship of reliance, necessity, or causality. It generally has two primary meanings:

1. To rely on or be contingent upon: To indicate that something is determined by or conditional on another factor. For example, "La réussite dépend de ton travail" means "Success depends on your work."
2. To be under the authority of: To indicate that a person, department, or administrative unit falls under the jurisdiction or control of someone or something else. For example, "Ce département dépend du ministère" means "This department reports to the ministry."

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar:

• dépendre is a verb of the third group.
• It is followed by the preposition de (or d' before a vowel).
• It requires an indirect object. When referring to people, the preposition de is followed by a stressed pronoun (e.g., Il dépend de moi - He depends on me). When referring to things, it often uses the pronoun en (e.g., J'en dépends - I depend on it).

Origin: The word comes from the Latin dependere, which is composed of de- (down from) and pendere (to hang). Literally, it meant to hang from something, which evolved metaphorically into the idea of being supported by or subject to something else.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms:

• Être lié à dépendre de[?](vocabuo://word/dépendre de) (To be linked to)
• Être subordonné à dépendre de[?](vocabuo://word/dépendre de) (To be subordinate to)
• Être régi par dépendre de[?](vocabuo://word/dépendre de) (To be governed by)
• Résulter de dépendre de[?](vocabuo://word/dépendre de) (To result from)

Antonyms:

• Être indépendant de dépendre de[?](vocabuo://word/dépendre de) (To be independent of)
• Se suffire à soi-même dépendre de[?](vocabuo://word/dépendre de) (To be self-sufficient)