Depender Conjugation | How to Conjugate Depender in Spanish

Depender means “to depend” or “to rely.” You will learn its regular -ER forms and the essential construction depender de, which introduces the person, thing, or condition involved.

Depender conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular ER. Linguistically, depender is a regular -ER verb with the stable stem depend-, regular gerund dependiendo — “depending” — and regular participle dependido — “depended.” Its main usage requirement is the preposition de — “on / of,” depending on context.

Depender gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. With haber, the participle remains invariant for gender and number.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	depender	to depend
Gerund	dependiendo	depending
Past participle	dependido	depended

Depender meaning and essential uses

Depender — “to depend / rely” — is normally intransitive and commonly takes de — “on / of” — before the person, thing, resource, or condition involved: Depende del clima. — “It depends on the weather.”

It can describe causal or conditional dependence as well as reliance on a person or resource: Dependemos de esta conexión. — “We depend on this connection.”

Depender regular conjugation pattern

The stem depend- remains stable throughout the core paradigm and takes the normal -ER endings. The gerund dependiendo — “depending” — and participle dependido — “depended” — are regular.

There is no stem change, irregular yo form, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, future stem, gerund, or participle.

Depender indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Depender present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current actions, habits, facts, and contextually near-future events. The stem takes the regular -ER present endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependo	I depend
Tú — you, singular informal	dependes	you depend
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	depende	he / she depends; you depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependemos	we depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependéis	you depend (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependen	they depend; you depend (plural)

• Dependo del transporte público. — I depend on public transportation.

Depender preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified -ER preterite family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependí	I depended
Tú — you, singular informal	dependiste	you depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependió	he / she depended; you depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependimos	we depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependisteis	you depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependieron	they depended; you depended (plural)

• Durante años dependimos de esa fuente. — For years we depended on that source.

Depender imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, background, descriptive, or ongoing past situations. The table uses the regular -ER imperfect family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependía	I used to depend / was depending
Tú — you, singular informal	dependías	you used to depend / were depending
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependía	he / she used to depend / was depending; you used to depend / were depending (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependíamos	we used to depend / were depending
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependíais	you used to depend / were depending (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependían	they used to depend / were depending; you used to depend / were depending (plural)

• Antes dependía más de mis padres. — I used to depend more on my parents.

Depender present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus dependiendo — the gerund of the target verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy dependiendo	I am depending
Tú — you, singular informal	estás dependiendo	you are depending
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está dependiendo	he / she is depending; you are depending (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos dependiendo	we are depending
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis dependiendo	you are depending (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están dependiendo	they are depending; you are depending (plural)

• Estamos dependiendo demasiado de una sola persona. — We are depending too much on one person.

Depender near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses a plan, intention, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and depender — “to depend.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a depender	I am going to depend
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a depender	you are going to depend
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a depender	he / she is going to depend; you are going to depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a depender	we are going to depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a depender	you are going to depend (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a depender	they are going to depend; you are going to depend (plural)

• Vamos a depender del resultado final. — We are going to depend on the final result.

Depender future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where context supports it, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive; this verb has no special future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependeré	I will depend
Tú — you, singular informal	dependerás	you will depend
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependerá	he / she will depend; you will depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependeremos	we will depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependeréis	you will depend (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependerán	they will depend; you will depend (plural)

• Todo dependerá del presupuesto. — Everything will depend on the budget.

Depender conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or other conditional meanings supported by context. The endings attach to the full infinitive; this verb has no special future or conditional stem.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependería	I would depend
Tú — you, singular informal	dependerías	you would depend
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependería	he / she would depend; you would depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependeríamos	we would depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependeríais	you would depend (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependerían	they would depend; you would depend (plural)

• Dependería de las condiciones del contrato. — It would depend on the terms of the contract.

Depender present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; its distribution varies across Spanish-speaking regions. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he dependido	I have depended
Tú — you, singular informal	has dependido	you have depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha dependido	he / she has depended; you have depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos dependido	we have depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis dependido	you have depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han dependido	they have depended; you have depended (plural)

• Siempre hemos dependido de esta red. — We have always depended on this network.

Depender past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había dependido	I had depended
Tú — you, singular informal	habías dependido	you had depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había dependido	he / she had depended; you had depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos dependido	we had depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais dependido	you had depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían dependido	they had depended; you had depended (plural)

• Habían dependido de ayuda externa. — They had depended on outside help.

Depender future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré dependido	I will have depended
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás dependido	you will have depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá dependido	he / she will have depended; you will have depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos dependido	we will have depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis dependido	you will have depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán dependido	they will have depended; you will have depended (plural)

• Para entonces habremos dependido menos del coche. — By then we will have depended less on the car.

Depender conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría dependido	I would have depended
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías dependido	you would have depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría dependido	he / she would have depended; you would have depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos dependido	we would have depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais dependido	you would have depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían dependido	they would have depended; you would have depended (plural)

• Habría dependido de tus datos para decidir. — I would have depended on your data to decide.

Depender subjunctive conjugations

Depender present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate contexts involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. It uses the regular present-subjunctive endings for a -ER verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependa	that I depend
Tú — you, singular informal	dependas	that you depend
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependa	that he / she depend; that you depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependamos	that we depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependáis	that you depend (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependan	that they depend; that you depend (plural)

• Es posible que dependa del horario. — It may depend on the schedule.

Depender imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table; do not treat the two series as mechanically interchangeable in every special construction. These forms are built from the preterite third-person plural family; the main table shows the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependiera	that I depended
Tú — you, singular informal	dependieras	that you depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependiera	that he / she depended; that you depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependiéramos	that we depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependierais	that you depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependieran	that they depended; that you depended (plural)

• Querían que dependiéramos menos del apoyo externo. — They wanted us to depend less on outside support.
• Preferían que dependieses de una fuente segura. — They preferred that you rely on a reliable source.

Depender future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts and is included here as a reference system. These reference forms share the same historical stem family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	dependiere	if / when I should depend
Tú — you, singular informal	dependieres	if / when you should depend
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	dependiere	if / when he / she should depend; if / when you should depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	dependiéremos	if / when we should depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	dependiereis	if / when you should depend (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	dependieren	if / when they should depend; if / when you should depend (plural)

• Si dependiere de autorización previa, deberá indicarse. — If it should depend on prior authorization, that must be stated.

Depender present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya dependido	that I have depended
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas dependido	that you have depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya dependido	that he / she has depended; that you have depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos dependido	that we have depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis dependido	that you have depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan dependido	that they have depended; that you have depended (plural)

• Dudo que haya dependido solo del precio. — I doubt that it has depended only on the price.

Depender past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera dependido	that I had depended
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras dependido	that you had depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera dependido	that he / she had depended; that you had depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos dependido	that we had depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais dependido	that you had depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran dependido	that they had depended; that you had depended (plural)

• Si hubiéramos dependido de esa ruta, habríamos llegado tarde. — If we had depended on that route, we would have arrived late.
• Si hubieses dependido de una sola opción, el riesgo habría sido mayor. — If you had depended on one option, the risk would have been greater.

Depender future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It is a reference form used mainly in formal, legal, literary, or historical contexts. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle dependido — “depended.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere dependido	if / when I should have depended
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres dependido	if / when you should have depended
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere dependido	if / when he / she should have depended; if / when you should have depended (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos dependido	if / when we should have depended
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis dependido	if / when you should have depended (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren dependido	if / when they should have depended; if / when you should have depended (plural)

• Si hubieren dependido de fondos públicos, deberán declararlo. — If they should have depended on public funds, they must declare it.

Depender imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. Spanish uses different morphological sources depending on person and polarity; the nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Depender affirmative commands

Affirmative commands are grammatically available, but direct orders with depender are less common because dependence is usually described rather than commanded. When an instruction does use this verb, use the verified command forms below.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	depende	depend / rely
Usted — you, singular formal	dependa	depend / rely (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	dependamos	let’s depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	depended	depend / rely (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	dependan	depend / rely (plural)

• Depende menos de los demás. — Rely less on others.

Depender negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms. The particle no — “not / do not” — comes before the command form.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no dependas	do not depend
Usted — you, singular formal	no dependa	do not depend (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no dependamos	let’s not depend
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no dependáis	do not depend (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no dependan	do not depend (plural)

• No dependas de una sola fuente. — Do not rely on a single source.

Common constructions with Depender

These target-verb patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the verb is used.

• depender de + noun or pronoun. — to depend on a person or thing.
• depender de que + clause. — to depend on whether / on the fact that something happens.
• Eso depende. — It depends.

Example sentences with Depender

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already explained in the lesson.

• El precio depende de la temporada. — The price depends on the season.
• Dependemos de Internet para trabajar. — We depend on the Internet to work.
• La decisión dependerá de los resultados. — The decision will depend on the results.
• Puede que todo dependa de una llamada. — Everything may depend on one call.
• No quiero depender de nadie. — I do not want to depend on anyone.
• Eso depende de lo que necesites. — That depends on what you need.

Regional and usage notes for Depender

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. In regions using voseo, present-indicative and affirmative-command forms can differ from the core tú forms. The verified regional forms below supplement rather than replace the main paradigm.

• Vos dependés de ese ingreso. — You depend on that income. (voseo)
• Dependé menos del coche. — Depend less on the car. (affirmative vos command)

The conjugation of depender is regular; the usage challenge is syntactic. Keep depender de — “to depend on” — together as a unit, then choose the tense or mood that matches the sentence.