Log inSign up

Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.

Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
Everything depends on the weather.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching German grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning German now

Questions & Answers about Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.

Why is the verb split into hängt ... ab instead of staying together as abhängt?

abhängen is a separable verb in German.

  • The base verb is hängen.
  • The prefix ab- is separable.

In a main clause in the present tense, the finite verb goes in position 2, and the separable prefix goes to the end:

  • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
    • hängt = position 2
    • ab = pushed to the end

If you put it in the infinitive or after a modal verb, it stays together:

  • … alles kann vom Wetter abhängen.
  • … alles wird vom Wetter abhängen.
Why is ab at the very end of the sentence? Can it go somewhere else?

With separable verbs in a normal main clause, the particle (here ab) must go to the end of the clause. You cannot move ab somewhere in the middle:

  • ✅ Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
  • ❌ Alles hängt ab vom Wetter.

You can only split it differently if the grammar changes, for example with a final infinitive:

  • …, weil alles vom Wetter abhängt. (subordinate clause: verb at the end, prefix attached)
Why is it vom Wetter and not von dem Wetter?

vom is just the contracted form of von dem:

  • von
    • dem → vom

dem is the dative singular article for masculine and neuter nouns, and Wetter is neuter:

  • nominative: das Wetter
  • dative: dem Wetter → vom Wetter

You can say von dem Wetter, but in everyday German, contractions like vom, im, zum are much more common and sound more natural:

  • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab. (normal)
  • Alles hängt von dem Wetter ab. (grammatically fine, slightly more explicit/emphatic)
Why does von use the dative here? Why not accusative?

The preposition von always takes the dative case, regardless of meaning:

  • von dem Mann → vom Mann
  • von der Frau
  • von dem Wetter → vom Wetter

Since abhängen is used as abhängen von + dative, Wetter must be in the dative:

  • von
    • dem Wetter → vom Wetter
What’s the difference between alles and alle? Why is it Alles hängt …?

alles and alle are related, but they’re used differently:

  • alles = everything, used as a pronoun for things in general (neuter, singular idea):

    • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab. = Everything depends on the weather.

  • alle = all (plural people or items):

    • Alle Leute warten. = All (the) people are waiting.
    • Alle Autos sind teuer. = All cars are expensive.

Here we’re talking about everything in general, not “all people” or “all (plural) things”, so alles is correct.

Is Alles really the subject of the sentence?

Yes.

  • Alles = subject (nominative)
  • hängt … ab = finite verb
  • vom Wetter = prepositional phrase (what it depends on)

Basic structure:

  • Alles (subject)
  • hängt … ab (predicate)
  • vom Wetter (complement of the verb)
Can I say Es hängt vom Wetter ab instead of Alles hängt vom Wetter ab?

Yes, but the meaning is slightly different in focus:

  • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.

    • Explicitly says everything depends on the weather.

  • Es hängt vom Wetter ab.

    • Literally: It depends on the weather.
    • The “it” refers to something mentioned or understood from context.

You can also say:

  • Es hängt alles vom Wetter ab.
    • Emphasizes alles more strongly: It all depends on the weather.
Can I change the word order to Vom Wetter hängt alles ab?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and often used:

  • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
  • Vom Wetter hängt alles ab.

Both mean the same, but the emphasis shifts:

  • Initial Alles → focus on everything
  • Initial Vom Wetter → focus on the weather as the crucial factor

German allows flexible word order for emphasis as long as the finite verb stays in second position in main clauses.

Could I say Alles hängt von dem Wetter ab without vom?

Yes, it is grammatically correct:

  • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
  • Alles hängt von dem Wetter ab.

Differences:

  • vom Wetter → normal contracted form, neutral, most common.
  • von dem Wetter → slightly more emphatic or formal, or used if you want to contrast this weather with some other weather.

In everyday speech, vom is strongly preferred.

Is there another common way to say “Everything depends on the weather” in German?

Yes, a very common alternative is:

  • Alles kommt auf das Wetter an.

Here:

  • Verb: ankommen (separable: kommt … an)
  • Fixed pattern: ankommen auf + accusative

Meaning and use are very close to von etwas abhängen. In many contexts they’re interchangeable:

  • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
  • Alles kommt auf das Wetter an.
How would I replace vom Wetter with a pronoun, like “on it”?

German uses da(r)- compounds for preposition + “it/that”:

  • Alles hängt davon ab. = Everything depends on it.

Structure:

  • von + es/das → davon

You cannot say *Alles hängt von es ab. You must use davon.

How do I use abhängen in other tenses?

abhängen (in this meaning) is conjugated like the strong verb hängen:

  • Präsens (present):

    • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.

  • Präteritum (simple past):

    • Alles hing vom Wetter ab.

  • Perfekt (spoken past):

    • Alles hat vom Wetter abgehangen.
      • Participle: abgehangen

The present tense (hängt ab) is by far the most common in this expression; past forms are used less often but are completely correct.

What’s the difference between abhängen von and abhängig sein von?

Both express dependence, but grammatically they’re different:

  • abhängen von + dative (verb):

    • Alles hängt vom Wetter ab.
    • Everything depends on the weather.

  • abhängig sein von + dative (adjective + verb sein):

    • Alles ist vom Wetter abhängig.
    • Everything is dependent on the weather.

Meaning is very close; the verb construction sounds a bit more like “it depends,” the adjective construction more like “it is dependent.” Both are natural.