Depender in the Present Tense

Introduction

The present tense of depender — «to depend» — is the form you will reach for most often. It talks about habits, facts and what is happening right now, and it is the first tense to master for this verb. depender is a regular -er verb verb, so the present follows the -er endings. On this page you will find the full present-tense table, how the forms are built, five usage rules with examples, a comparison with the preterite, more example sentences, the mistakes learners make in this tense, an eight-question quiz and answers to common questions. A good first sentence is «Yo dependo todos los días» — I depend every day.

Depender in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo dependo
tú dependes
él/ella/Ud. depende
nosotros/as dependemos
vosotros/as dependéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dependen

Gerund: dependiendo · Past participle: dependido

How the present tense of depender is formed

Take the stem depend — the infinitive depender without its -er ending — and add the present endings. The table below shows the build for every person, using the actual stem of each form:

Person Stem Ending Form
yo depend -o dependo
tú depend -es dependes
él/ella/Ud. depend -e depende
nosotros/as depend -emos dependemos
vosotros/as depend -éis dependéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. depend -en dependen

The present is the only tense where the yo form ends in -o for all three verb classes, which makes it a useful anchor: if you know dependo, you can build the rest of the table from the stem and the endings above.

When to use the present tense of depender

1. Daily routines and habits

The most common use: things you do regularly. Time words like todos los días, siempre and a veces are the giveaway.

Yo dependo todos los días. — I depend every day.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. No time expression is needed — the statement stands on its own.

Él depende con mi familia. — He depends with my family.

3. What is happening right now

For an action in progress, the present works on its own in Spanish, and you can also use estar + the gerund dependiendo for emphasis. Both are correct; the gerund version stresses that it is happening this very moment.

Nosotros dependemos por la mañana. — We depend in the morning.

4. Scheduled near-future plans

Spanish often uses the present for a fixed plan in the near future, where English would say «going to». A time expression such as mañana or la semana que viene makes the future meaning clear.

Tú dependes en el trabajo. — You depend at work.

5. Narrating and commenting

The present is the tense of live commentary and of stories told as if they were happening now. It keeps the listener in the moment, and it is the tense of instructions and explanations.

Ellos dependen a veces. — They depend sometimes.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The present and the preterite answer different questions. The present says what happens in general or what is happening now; the preterite says what happened once and is over. Compare the pairs below — same verb, different time frame:

  • Present: Yo dependo todos los días. — I depend every day.

  • Preterite: Ayer yo dependí por la tarde. — Yesterday I depended in the afternoon.

  • A routine against a single finished event. The present describes the habit; the preterite reports the one time it happened.

  • Present: Él depende por la mañana. — He depends in the morning.

  • Preterite: Ayer él dependió por la tarde. — Yesterday He depended in the afternoon.

  • What happens in the morning in general, against what happened yesterday afternoon. The time expression decides the tense.

  • Present: Nosotros dependemos con mi familia. — We depend with my family.

  • Preterite: La semana pasada nosotros dependimos dos veces. — Last week We depended twice.

  • A shared habit against a shared finished event. If the action repeats, use the present; if it happened once and ended, use the preterite.

Example sentences: depender in the present

  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.
  5. Vosotros dependéis cuando hay tiempo. — You depend when there is time.
  6. Ellos dependen a veces. — They depend sometimes.
  7. Yo dependo en el trabajo. — I depend at work.
  8. Él depende todos los días. — He depends every day.

Common mistakes with depender in the present

1. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros dependeis.

Right: Vosotros dependéis.

The vosotros form dependéis carries a written accent on the ending. Without it the word is misspelled, and in speech the stress falls in the wrong place.

2. Using the present for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo dependo.

Right: Ayer yo dependí.

Ayer belongs with the preterite. The present dependo talks about now or about a habit; a finished yesterday needs dependí.

3. Using the yo form for every person

Wrong: Ellos dependo.

Right: Ellos dependen.

Each person has its own form: ellos take dependen, not the yo form dependo. The -n ending on dependen is what marks the third-person plural.

4. Using the present instead of the progressive

Wrong: Estoy dependo.

Right: Estoy dependiendo.

After estar, Spanish needs the gerund: estoy dependiendo. The conjugated present dependo never follows estar.

Quiz: depender in the present

Test yourself on the present tense of depender. 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) dependo
- (c) dependéis
- (d) depende

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

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

3. What is the yo form of depender in the present indicative?

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

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

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

5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of depender in the present indicative?

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

6. What is the nosotros/as form of depender in the present indicative?

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

7. What is the gerund of depender?

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

8. What is the past participle of depender?

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

Answer key

1. (c) — 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 present indicative, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of depender is dependen. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the present indicative, the yo form of depender is dependo. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present indicative, the tú form of depender is dependes. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the present indicative, the él/ella/Ud. form of depender is depende. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of depender is dependemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — The gerund of depender is dependiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy dependiendo». 8. (a) — The past participle of depender is dependido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he dependido».

Frequently asked questions

Is depender regular in the present?

Yes — depender is regular in the present. The stem depend never changes and the endings are -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for -ar verbs (with the matching sets for -er and -ir verbs).

What is the yo form of depender in the present?

It is dependo. Use it for talking about yourself right now.

How is the present different from the preterite for depender?

The present (dependo) describes habits and what is happening now; the preterite (dependí) reports a single finished event. «Yo dependo todos los días» is a habit, while «Ayer yo dependí» is one event that ended yesterday.

Can I use the present of depender with estar and the gerund?

Yes — «Estoy dependiendo» means «I am depending right now», with the emphasis on the action in progress. The plain present «Yo dependo» is also correct for what is happening now; the gerund version simply stresses the moment.

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