Breakdown of Je nachdem, wie die Laune ist, machen wir eine andere Aktivität.
sein
to be
ein
a, an (eine)
machen
to make, to do
wir
we
wie
how
andere
other, different
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
je nachdem
depending on
die Aktivität
the activity
die Laune
the mood (of a person)
Questions & Answers about Je nachdem, wie die Laune ist, machen wir eine andere Aktivität.
How does je nachdem work with the question word wie in this sentence?
Je nachdem translates to 'depending on'. It is often followed by an indirect question to explain what something depends on. Here, the indirect question starts with the question word wie (how). Because an indirect question is a subordinate clause, it kicks its conjugated verb (ist) to the very end of that clause.
Why is the word order machen wir instead of wir machen after the comma?
In German main clauses, the conjugated verb must always be in the second position. The entire phrase before the second comma (Je nachdem, wie die Laune ist) acts as one big block occupying position 1. So, the main verb machen must take position 2 immediately after the comma, which pushes the subject wir to the other side of the verb.
Do I always have to use a question word like wie or ob after je nachdem?
Not always! If the context is already clear from a previous sentence, you can use je nachdem completely on its own as a short answer meaning 'It depends.' But whenever you want to explicitly state the condition in the same sentence, as we do here, you must connect it using an indirect question starting with a W-word (like wie, was, wann) or ob (whether/if).
Why is it eine andere with an -e ending?
The word Aktivität is a feminine noun (die Aktivität). In this sentence, it is the direct object (the thing we are 'doing'), which puts it in the accusative case. When you have a feminine noun in the accusative case following the indefinite article eine, the adjective andere (other/different) gets an -e ending.
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