Depender Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

depender means to depend, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -er verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo dependo todos los días» — I depend every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use depender the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Depender in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where depender lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo dependo todos los días. — I depend every day.
  2. Tú dependes en el trabajo. — You depend at work.
  3. Él depende con mi familia. — He depends with my family.
  4. Nosotros dependemos por la mañana. — We depend in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo dependí por la tarde. — Yesterday I depended in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo dependía todos los días. — In the past, I used to depend every day.
  3. La semana pasada él dependió dos veces. — Last week He depended twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo dependeré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will depend without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo dependería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would depend right now.
  3. Hoy yo he dependido dos veces. — Today I have depended twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú dependas pronto. — I hope You depend soon.
  2. ¡depende, por favor! — Depend, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy dependiendo. — Right now I am depending.

Depender in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo dependo en el trabajo.» — I depend at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo dependo con mi familia.» — I depend with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo dependeré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will depend without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo dependería ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would depend right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he dependido dos veces.» — Today I have depended twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo dependí por la tarde. Antes, yo dependía todos los días. Hoy yo he dependido dos veces. Mañana yo dependeré sin falta.

Yesterday I depended in the afternoon. In the past, I used to depend every day. Today I have depended twice. Tomorrow I will depend without fail.

Common mistakes with depender

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo dependía.

Right: Ayer yo dependí.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, dependí. The imperfect dependía describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú dependes.

Right: Espero que tú dependas.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: dependas, not the indicative dependes. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No depende.

Right: No dependas.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no dependas. The affirmative depende can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo depender todos los días.

Right: Yo dependo todos los días.

The infinitive depender names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo dependo.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He dependiendo.

Right: He dependido.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he dependido. The gerund dependiendo goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy dependiendo»), never with haber.

Quiz: depender in use

Test yourself on depender in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the vosotros/as form of depender in the present indicative?

- (a) dependes
- (b) depende
- (c) dependo
- (d) dependéis

2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of depender in the preterite?

- (a) dependieron
- (b) dependiste
- (c) dependí
- (d) dependió

3. What is the yo form of depender in the future?

- (a) dependeré
- (b) dependerá
- (c) dependeremos
- (d) dependerás

4. What is the tú form of depender in the present perfect?

- (a) hemos dependido
- (b) he dependido
- (c) ha dependido
- (d) has dependido

5. What is the vosotros/as form of depender in the imperfect?

- (a) dependías
- (b) dependíais
- (c) dependía
- (d) dependía

6. What is the gerund of depender?

- (a) dependiendo
- (b) dependido
- (c) dependo
- (d) depender

7. What is the past participle of depender?

- (a) dependí
- (b) dependiendo
- (c) dependido
- (d) depender

8. Which sentence uses depender correctly?

- (a) *Yo depender todos los días.*
- (b) *Yo depende todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo dependes todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo dependo todos los días.* — I depend every day.

9. Which sentence uses depender correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo depender por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo dependí por la tarde.* — Yesterday I depended in the afternoon.
- (c) *Ayer yo dependo por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo dependía por la tarde.*

10. What does depender mean?

- (a) to deposit
- (b) to depend
- (c) to betray
- (d) to sue

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of depender is dependéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (a) — In the preterite, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of depender is dependieron. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (a) — In the future, the yo form of depender is dependeré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (d) — In the present perfect, the tú form of depender is has dependido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (b) — In the imperfect, the vosotros/as form of depender is dependíais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of depender is dependiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy dependiendo». 7. (c) — The past participle of depender is dependido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he dependido». 8. (d) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of depender; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (b) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of depender; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (b) — depender means «to depend».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I depend' in Spanish?

Say «Yo dependo todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I depended' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo dependí por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is depender reflexive?

No — depender is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo dependo, tú dependes, él depende. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with depender?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (dependí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (dependía) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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