French Phrase
Ça dépend de la politique qu'ils ont.
Meaning
The sentence means “It depends on the policy they have.” It points out that a decision or outcome is conditional on the specific rules or guidelines that a group (they) follows.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to explain that a result, choice, or situation is contingent on a particular set of rules, regulations, or a political stance of a group, organization, or government.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Çadépenddelapolitiquequ'ilsont
Ça dépend de
A set phrase meaning “it depends on”. The verb dépend is followed by the preposition de.
Relative pronoun que → qu'
When the relative pronoun que is followed by a vowel (ils), it contracts to qu' and introduces a relative clause.
Subject‑verb agreement
The verb ont is the third‑person plural present of avoir, agreeing with the subject ils.
Definite article la
La is the feminine singular definite article that matches politique (feminine noun).
🗨In Conversation
Pourquoi le projet a-t-il été retardé ?
Why was the project delayed?
Ça dépend de la politique qu'ils ont.
It depends on the policy they have.
✕Common Mistakes
c'est dépend de la politique qu'ils ont.
The verb dépend already includes the subject; you never say "c'est dépend de".
Ça dépend de la politique ils ont.
The relative clause must be introduced by the pronoun "qu'" (or "que").
Ça dépend de la politique ils.
If you omit the relative pronoun, the sentence becomes ungrammatical.
↔Alternatives
Cela dépend de la politique qu'ils appliquent.
It depends on the policy they apply.
Tout dépend de leurs règles.
Everything depends on their rules.
C’est fonction du programme qu’ils ont mis en place.
It’s a function of the program they have put in place.
Cultural Tip
In spoken French, "ça" is informal and very common; in formal writing you would use "cela". The construction "dépend de" always requires the preposition de, never "dépend à". Also, French speakers often place the relative clause right after the noun, as shown here, to keep the sentence fluid.