Breakdown of Kommst du mit? Es kommt darauf an.
du
you (informal singular)
kommen
to come
mit
with
es kommt darauf an
it depends
Questions & Answers about Kommst du mit? Es kommt darauf an.
Why is mit at the end of the first question?
It is part of the separable verb mitkommen (to come along). In a present tense question, the conjugated part of the verb (kommst) is at the beginning, and the separable prefix (mit) moves to the very end of the sentence.
What does darauf mean here, and why does it have an "r" in the middle?
The word darauf is a combination of da and the preposition auf, used here to mean "on that" or "on it". Because auf starts with a vowel, German adds an r in the middle to make it easier to pronounce, creating darauf instead of "daauf".
How exactly does Es kommt darauf an mean "It depends"?
This comes from the fixed phrase ankommen auf, which means "to depend on". It is a separable verb, so kommt goes in the normal verb position and an goes to the end. The darauf stands in for whatever condition is being depended on. Literally, it feels a bit like saying "It comes down to that."
Could I use the verb abhängen to say "It depends" instead?
Yes! The verb abhängen (to depend) goes with the preposition von. If you want to use it here, you would say Es hängt davon ab. Both phrases are extremely common and mean the exact same thing in everyday conversation.