Signification
Stating that the answer is conditional.
Contexte culturel
Russians often use 'Это зависит от...' to avoid making promises they might not be able to keep. It's seen as a sign of being a 'serious person' (серьёзный человек) who considers all variables. In Russian business, 'Это зависит от...' is a common negotiation tactic to signal that terms are flexible and depend on the other party's concessions. During the Soviet era, many things depended on 'connections' (блат). The phrase 'Это зависит от того, кого ты знаешь' was a common reality of life. In big cities like Moscow, everything 'зависит от пробок' (depends on traffic). It is the universal excuse for being late.
Drop the 'Это'
In casual conversation, you can just start with 'Зависит от...'. It sounds more like a native speaker.
The 'Ot' Trap
Never use 'на' (on) even though English says 'depends on'. Always use 'от'.
Signification
Stating that the answer is conditional.
Drop the 'Это'
In casual conversation, you can just start with 'Зависит от...'. It sounds more like a native speaker.
The 'Ot' Trap
Never use 'на' (on) even though English says 'depends on'. Always use 'от'.
Polite Evasion
If you don't want to answer a personal question, 'Это зависит от многих факторов' is a polite way to change the subject.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the word in brackets (Genitive case).
Это зависит от (погода) ________.
The preposition 'от' requires the Genitive case. For feminine nouns ending in -а, the ending changes to -ы.
Choose the correct preposition for the phrase 'It depends on you'.
Это зависит ____ тебя.
In Russian, the verb 'зависеть' always takes the preposition 'от'.
Complete the dialogue with the most natural response.
— Ты пойдешь в кино? — ________, какой фильм мы будем смотреть.
'Смотря' is the most natural informal way to start a conditional answer in this context.
Match the condition to the result.
Match the following:
These pairs show logical dependencies in daily life.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesЭто зависит от (погода) ________.
The preposition 'от' requires the Genitive case. For feminine nouns ending in -а, the ending changes to -ы.
Это зависит ____ тебя.
In Russian, the verb 'зависеть' always takes the preposition 'от'.
— Ты пойдешь в кино? — ________, какой фильм мы будем смотреть.
'Смотря' is the most natural informal way to start a conditional answer in this context.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These pairs show logical dependencies in daily life.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
4 questionsNot directly. You must use 'от того, как/что' + verb. E.g., 'Зависит от того, как он работает'.
Yes, but 'Смотря' is more informal and usually followed by a question word like 'кто', 'где', or 'какой'.
Always the Genitive case.
Yes, it is the perfect way to say that a decision is yours to make.
Expressions liées
Смотря как
similarDepends on how...
В зависимости от
specialized formDepending on...
Это не от меня зависит
builds onIt's out of my hands.
Быть в зависимости
relatedTo be addicted or dependent.
