次第だ／次第で — It All Depends
Expresses that an outcome is determined by, or up to, a particular factor — 'depends on X' or 'according to X'. 次第だ ends a sentence; 次第で / 次第では continues it, introducing the result that varies with the factor.
Structure
[Noun] + 次第だ / [Noun] + 次第で(は)
Examples
行くかどうかは天気次第だ。
Iku ka dou ka wa tenki shidai da.
Whether we go or not depends on the weather.
Noun 天気 + 次第だ ends the sentence, marking weather as the deciding factor.
考え方次第で、人生は大きく変わる。
Kangaekata shidai de, jinsei wa ookiku kawaru.
Depending on your way of thinking, life can change greatly.
Noun 考え方 + 次第で connects to the result clause showing life varies with mindset.
努力次第では、合格も夢ではない。
Doryoku shidai de wa, goukaku mo yume de wa nai.
Depending on your effort, passing is not just a dream.
次第では adds 'depending on the case', stressing effort as the variable factor.
• 次第だ closes a clause; 次第で / 次第では leads into the varying result. • Attaches to nouns only for this meaning. • Register: fairly formal but common in everyday advice and writing.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones 次第だ／次第で is tested against.
vs によって
によって also means 'depending on', but 次第で adds a stronger sense that the outcome is entirely 'up to / at the mercy of' that factor.
vs 次第 (as soon as)
次第だ／次第で attaches to a noun for 'depending on', whereas the time 次第 attaches to a ます-stem for 'as soon as'.
More cause & effect
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