Breakdown of Wir planen das Ferienlager, je nachdem, wie das Wetter ist.
sein
to be
wir
we
wie
how
das Wetter
the weather
planen
to plan
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
das Ferienlager
the summer camp
je nachdem
depending on
Questions & Answers about Wir planen das Ferienlager, je nachdem, wie das Wetter ist.
What exactly does je nachdem do in this sentence?
je nachdem translates to "depending on". Here, it connects the main action (Wir planen das Ferienlager) to an indirect question (wie das Wetter ist). It tells us that the plan relies entirely on the answer to that specific question.
Why is the verb ist at the very end of the sentence?
Because wie das Wetter ist is an indirect question, which functions as a subordinate clause. Whenever you have a subordinate clause in German, the conjugated verb (in this case, ist) gets pushed to the very end of the clause.
Why are there commas on both sides of je nachdem?
The first comma separates the main clause (Wir planen das Ferienlager) from the dependent parts of the sentence. The second comma separates the phrase je nachdem from the actual indirect question starting with wie. This double-comma structure is standard when je nachdem introduces a question word.
Can I use je nachdem without a question word like wie or ob?
Yes! You can use it on its own as a short answer. If someone asks if you are going to the beach, you could just say Je nachdem. (It depends). But when you want to state exactly what it depends on in the same sentence, you must follow it with an indirect question using words like wie, ob, or wann.
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