To depend on (something/someone)

“To depend on (something/someone)”

EXAMPLE 1:

Eli: I’m almost finished packing my bags for our camping trip, Gina. But…should I bring a rain jacket? What do you think?

Gina: That’s a good question. I don’t know if it will rain or not. It just depends on the weather! It might be really sunny, but it might be cold and rainy! So maybe you should bring one just to be safe.

Eli: OK. Should I bring my fishing pole?

Gina: Hmm…that depends on where we stay. If we camp near a river or lake, you should bring one, but if we don’t stay near water, you won’t need one. I don’t know.

Eli: All right, I’ll bring my fishing pole anyway. Should I bring my teddy bear?

Gina: Eli, please shut up! I haven’t finished packing yet!

Meaning #1:

“to depend on (something)” usually means that the result of an action might be different because of unknown factors.

EXAMPLE 2:

A baby bird cannot fly yet, so it depends on its mother to bring food so it can eat.

Meaning #2:

“to depend on (someone)” usually means to rely on someone, but sometimes it has the same meaning as Meaning #1. It depends on the sentence!

This idiom is used in our Reading Transition book!