Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
次第 without だ links two actions: the first finishes, then the second starts immediately, as in 判明次第ご連絡申し上げます. Adding だ turns it into a predicate meaning the outcome hinges on the noun before it, as in 金次第だ. The connector form moves the sentence forward; the copula form closes it by stating what something depends on.
- 次第 Use 次第 without だ when one action triggers the next right away.
- 次第 Use 次第だ to state that a result depends entirely on the preceding noun.
次第
As soon as/Depending on
As soon as; depend on | A conjunction/noun to express that an action indicated by a preceding verb or an action implied by a preceding noun is a prerequisite for another action.
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「地獄の沙汰も金次第（だ）」ということわざを知っていますか。
Do you know the proverb "Even affairs in hell depend on money”?
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お尋ねの件は、判明次第、ご連絡申し上げます。
On the matter you have inquired about, I will inform you as soon as I find out.
次第
It depends on
As soon as; depend on | A conjunction/noun to express that an action indicated by a preceding verb or an action implied by a preceding noun is a prerequisite for another action.
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「地獄の沙汰も金次第（だ）」ということわざを知っていますか。
Do you know the proverb "Even affairs in hell depend on money”?
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お尋ねの件は、判明次第、ご連絡申し上げます。
On the matter you have inquired about, I will inform you as soon as I find out.
次第 and 次第 are both JLPT N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.