Depend On Doing vs. Depend To Do
Cambridge documents depend on/upon with -ing clauses and also the separate pattern “depend on someone/something to do something.” Do not overgeneralize this into a ban on every nearby to-infinitive: “depend on you to help” is valid because the infinitive belongs after the object of “on.”
Use “depend on doing” when the thing a result depends on is an action or event; do not use bare “depend to do” as the direct alternative.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| an outcome is contingent on an action or event | depend on doing something | Use on + -ing. |
| an outcome is contingent on a noun or condition | depend on + noun / clause | Keep “on” before the thing or condition depended on. |
| another person is relied on to perform an action | depend on someone to do something | A to-infinitive can follow the person relied on; this is not bare “depend to do.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Is the action itself the condition on which the result depends?
If yes: Use “depend on doing …”.
If no: If a person is relied on to act, use “depend on someone to do …”; do not drop “on” and write bare “depend to do.”
Caveat: Do not treat every appearance of “to do” near “depend” as wrong: “depend on someone to do something” is a different, valid structure.
Examples
The result depends on completing the checks first.
The action is the condition, so on + -ing is used.
Approval depends on the final review.
A noun can follow the same “depend on” pattern.
We depend on the editor to catch inconsistencies.
The to-infinitive follows the person relied on, not the verb “depend” directly.
Further guidance
Boundary
Do not overgeneralize this into a ban on every nearby to-infinitive: “depend on you to help” is valid because the infinitive belongs after the object of “on.”
Construction
Cambridge documents depend on/upon with -ing clauses and also the separate pattern “depend on someone/something to do something.”
Decision
Use “depend on doing” when the thing a result depends on is an action or event; do not use bare “depend to do” as the direct alternative.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- depend on/upon someone/something — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Depend on/upon supports -ing clauses and also the distinct pattern depend on someone/something to do something.