Depender Conjugation in Spanish
depender means «to depend». It is a regular -er verb verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of depender in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example: «Yo dependo todos los días» — I depend every day.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: depender
- English: to depend
- Verb type: regular -er verb
- Ending: -er
- Gerund: dependiendo
- Past participle: dependido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + dependido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for depender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for depender. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.
Gerund: dependiendo · Past participle: dependido
Present Indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependo |
| tú | dependes |
| él/ella/Ud. | depende |
| nosotros/as | dependemos |
| vosotros/as | dependéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependen |
Use the present of depender for things that happen regularly and for things that are true in general. The yo form dependo is the anchor of the table: the other persons follow the regular -er endings from it. When you talk about yourself right now, this is the form you need.
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependí |
| tú | dependiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependió |
| nosotros/as | dependimos |
| vosotros/as | dependisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependieron |
Use the preterite of depender for a single finished event: something that happened once and is over. The yo form is dependí. If you can put a finished time expression with it — ayer, la semana pasada, anoche — the preterite is usually right.
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependía |
| tú | dependías |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependía |
| nosotros/as | dependíamos |
| vosotros/as | dependíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependían |
Use the imperfect of depender for what used to happen and for what was going on when something else happened. The yo form is dependía. If the action has no clear beginning or end in the story, the imperfect is the right choice.
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependeré |
| tú | dependerás |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependerá |
| nosotros/as | dependeremos |
| vosotros/as | dependeréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependerán |
Use the future of depender for plans, promises and predictions. The yo form is dependeré, built on the infinitive plus the future endings. For a firm plan, the future sounds more formal than ir a + infinitive; for a casual plan, either works.
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependería |
| tú | dependerías |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependería |
| nosotros/as | dependeríamos |
| vosotros/as | dependeríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependerían |
Use the conditional of depender for hypothetical situations and for softening requests. The yo form is dependería. It appears after si-clauses with the imperfect subjunctive and on its own for polite suggestions.
Present Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he dependido |
| tú | has dependido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha dependido |
| nosotros/as | hemos dependido |
| vosotros/as | habéis dependido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han dependido |
Use the present perfect of depender for recent events with present relevance. The yo form is he dependido — haber in the present plus dependido. Time expressions like hoy, esta semana and últimamente are its natural partners.
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había dependido |
| tú | habías dependido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había dependido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos dependido |
| vosotros/as | habíais dependido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían dependido |
Use the pluperfect of depender when you need two layers of past: one event already finished before another past event began. The yo form is había dependido. It is the tense of «had already done».
Future Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré dependido |
| tú | habrás dependido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá dependido |
| nosotros/as | habremos dependido |
| vosotros/as | habréis dependido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán dependido |
Use the future perfect of depender to say that something will be finished by a future moment. The yo form is habré dependido. It pairs naturally with deadlines: para mañana, para el viernes, para entonces.
Conditional Perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría dependido |
| tú | habrías dependido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría dependido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos dependido |
| vosotros/as | habríais dependido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían dependido |
Use the conditional perfect of depender for the past that did not happen: what would have been done with more time or a different choice. The yo form is habría dependido. It follows si-clauses with the pluperfect subjunctive.
Present Subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependa |
| tú | dependas |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependa |
| nosotros/as | dependamos |
| vosotros/as | dependáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependan |
Use the present subjunctive of depender when the main clause expresses a wish, a doubt, an emotion or an impersonal judgement. The yo form is dependa. After espero que, ojalá que and no creo que, the subjunctive is required, not optional.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | dependiera |
| tú | dependieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependiera |
| nosotros/as | dependiéramos |
| vosotros/as | dependierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependieran |
Use the imperfect subjunctive of depender after past-tense wishes and doubts, and in si-clauses that set up a hypothetical present. The yo form is dependiera. It is built on the third-person plural preterite stem, which is why it looks different from the present subjunctive.
Imperative — Affirmative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | depende |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependa |
| nosotros/as | dependamos |
| vosotros/as | depended |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the affirmative imperative of depender to tell someone to do something: instructions, invitations and requests. The tú form is depende. For a polite command, use the usted form dependa instead of the tú form.
Imperative — Negative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | dependas |
| él/ella/Ud. | dependa |
| nosotros/as | dependamos |
| vosotros/as | dependáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | dependan |
There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.
Use the negative imperative of depender to forbid or to warn: «¡No dependas!». The tú form is dependas, taken from the present subjunctive. The word no always comes first, and the form never changes for emphasis.
Example sentences
- Yo dependo todos los días. — I depend every day.
- Ayer yo dependí por la tarde. — Yesterday I depended in the afternoon.
- Antes, yo dependía todos los días. — In the past, I used to depend every day.
- Mañana yo dependeré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will depend without fail.
- Si tuviera más tiempo, yo dependería ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would depend right now.
- Hoy yo he dependido dos veces. — Today I have depended twice.
- Espero que tú dependas pronto. — I hope You depend soon.
- Si yo dependiera, todo sería distinto. — If I depended, everything would be different.
- Ahora mismo yo estoy dependiendo. — Right now I am depending.
- ¡depende, por favor! — Depend, please!
Common mistakes
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
Test yourself on the forms above. 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) dependéis
- (c) dependo
- (d) depende
2. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of depender in the preterite?
- (a) dependiste
- (b) dependí
- (c) dependieron
- (d) dependió
3. What is the yo form of depender in the imperfect?
- (a) dependía
- (b) dependíamos
- (c) dependía
- (d) dependías
4. What is the tú form of depender in the future?
- (a) dependerá
- (b) dependeremos
- (c) dependerás
- (d) dependeré
5. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of depender in the conditional?
- (a) dependería
- (b) dependería
- (c) dependeríamos
- (d) dependerías
6. What is the nosotros/as form of depender in the present perfect?
- (a) he dependido
- (b) has dependido
- (c) hemos dependido
- (d) ha dependido
7. What is the vosotros/as form of depender in the present subjunctive?
- (a) dependas
- (b) dependáis
- (c) dependa
- (d) dependa
8. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of depender in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?
- (a) dependiera
- (b) dependiera
- (c) dependieran
- (d) dependieras
9. What is the gerund of depender?
- (a) dependo
- (b) dependido
- (c) dependiendo
- (d) depender
10. What is the past participle of depender?
- (a) depender
- (b) dependiendo
- (c) dependí
- (d) dependido
Answer key
1. (b) — In the present indicative, the vosotros/as form of depender is dependéis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — 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 imperfect, the yo form of depender is dependía. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the future, the tú form of depender is dependerás. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (a) — In the conditional, the él/ella/Ud. form of depender is dependería. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (c) — In the present perfect, the nosotros/as form of depender is hemos dependido. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (b) — In the present subjunctive, the vosotros/as form of depender is dependáis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (c) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of depender is dependieran. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (c) — The gerund of depender is dependiendo. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy dependiendo». 10. (d) — The past participle of depender is dependido. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he dependido».
Frequently asked questions
Is depender regular or irregular?
Yes — depender is a regular -er verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem depend unchanged throughout.
What are the gerund and past participle of depender?
The gerund is dependiendo and the past participle is dependido. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy dependiendo») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he dependido»).
How do I say «I depend» in Spanish?
Say «Yo dependo todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.
What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of depender?
Use the preterite (dependí) for a single finished event and the imperfect (dependía) for habits and background. «Ayer yo dependí» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo dependía» describes what used to happen.
When do I use the subjunctive with depender?
Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú dependas». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.
How do I use depender in the present perfect?
Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he dependido». The participle dependido never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.
Related links
- Practise this verb in one tense: depender-present-tense
- More examples and a quiz: depender-examples-and-quiz
- Browse all Spanish verbs: /spanish/
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- Related verb: ejercer
- Conjugate any verb: verb-conjugator
- Test yourself: verb-quiz