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Definition 2024
descendre
descendre
French
Verb
descendre
- (intransitive) to go down
- (intransitive, transitive) to descend
- (transitive) to put down; disparage
- (transitive, slang) to kill (someone)
Usage notes
- This verb uses the auxiliary verb avoir when used transitively (or with a transitive sense, even when the complement is omitted); otherwise (when it is intransitive), it uses être.
- elle a descendu les valises ― she brought down the suitcases
- il est descendu de l'armoire ― he came down from the wardrobe
Conjugation
Conjugation of descendre (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | descendre | avoir or être descendu | |||||
| gerund | en descendant | en ayant or en étant descendu | |||||
| present participle | descendant /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɑ̃/ |
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| past participle | descendu /dɛ.sɑ̃.dy/ |
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| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il | nous | vous | ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | descends /dɛ.sɑ̃/ |
descends /dɛ.sɑ̃/ |
descend /dɛ.sɑ̃/ |
descendons /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɔ̃/ |
descendez /dɛ.sɑ̃.de/ |
descendent /dɛ.sɑ̃d/ |
| imperfect | descendais /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɛ/ |
descendais /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɛ/ |
descendait /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɛ/ |
descendions /dɛ.sɑ̃.djɔ̃/ |
descendiez /dɛ.sɑ̃.dje/ |
descendaient /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɛ/ |
|
| past historic1 | descendis /dɛ.sɑ̃.di/ |
descendis /dɛ.sɑ̃.di/ |
descendit /dɛ.sɑ̃.di/ |
descendîmes /dɛ.sɑ̃.dim/ |
descendîtes /dɛ.sɑ̃.dit/ |
descendirent /dɛ.sɑ̃.diʁ/ |
|
| future | descendrai /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁe/ |
descendras /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁa/ |
descendra /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁa/ |
descendrons /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁɔ̃/ |
descendrez /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁe/ |
descendront /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁɔ̃/ |
|
| conditional | descendrais /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
descendrais /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
descendrait /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
descendrions /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁi.jɔ̃/ |
descendriez /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁi.je/ |
descendraient /dɛ.sɑ̃.dʁɛ/ |
|
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior1 | Use the past historic tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il | que nous | que vous | qu’ils | |
| simple tenses |
present | descende /dɛ.sɑ̃d/ |
descendes /dɛ.sɑ̃d/ |
descende /dɛ.sɑ̃d/ |
descendions /dɛ.sɑ̃.djɔ̃/ |
descendiez /dɛ.sɑ̃.dje/ |
descendent /dɛ.sɑ̃d/ |
| imperfect1 |
descendisse /dɛ.sɑ̃.dis/ |
descendisses /dɛ.sɑ̃.dis/ |
descendît /dɛ.sɑ̃.di/ |
descendissions /dɛ.sɑ̃.di.sjɔ̃/ |
descendissiez /dɛ.sɑ̃.di.sje/ |
descendissent /dɛ.sɑ̃.dis/ |
|
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect1 | Use the imperfect subjunctive tense of avoir or être followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nous | vous | – | |
| — | descends /dɛ.sɑ̃/ |
— | descendons /dɛ.sɑ̃.dɔ̃/ |
descendez /dɛ.sɑ̃.de/ |
— | ||
| 1literary tenses | |||||||
Related terms
Anagrams
Middle French
Etymology
Verb
descendre
- to dismount (get down from a horse, etc.)
Descendants
- French: descendre
Old French
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /de.sẽn.drə/
Verb
descendre
- to go down; to descend
- to dismount (get down from a horse, etc.)
- circa 1250, Marie de France, Guigemar
- Son seignur veit, a pié descent
- He sees his master, and goes down to him on foot
- Son seignur veit, a pié descent
- circa 1250, Marie de France, Guigemar
Conjugation
This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
Conjugation of descendre (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | descendre | avoir descendu | |||||
| gerund | en descendant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| present participle | descendant | ||||||
| past participle | descendu | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses |
present | descent | descenz | descent | descendons | descendez | descendent |
| imperfect | descendoie, descendeie | descendoies, descendeies | descendoit, descendeit | descendiiens, descendiens | descendiiez, descendiez | descendoient, descendeient | |
| preterite | descendi | descendis | descendié | descendimes | descendistes | descendierent | |
| future | descendrai | descendras | descendra | descendrons | descendroiz, descendreiz, descendrez | descendront | |
| conditional | descendroie, descendreie | descendroies, descendreies | descendroit, descendreit | descendriiens, descendriens | descendriiez, descendriez | descendroient, descendreient | |
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | Use the preterite tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
| simple tenses |
present | descende | descendes | descende | descendons | descendez | descendent |
| imperfect | descendisse | descendisses | descendist | descendissons, descendissiens | descendissoiz, descendissez, descendissiez | descendissent | |
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
| — | descent | — | descendons | descendez | — | ||