Descendre

Descendre is a French verb meaning to go down or descend. It covers a range of senses, including moving from a higher to a lower position (such as going downstairs or alighting from a vehicle), and more abstract uses like decreasing height, level, or intensity. When used transitively, it can also mean to bring something down or to lower it. In many contexts, it pairs with prepositions to indicate the direction or source, for example descendre d’un véhicule (to get off a vehicle) or descendre à un étage (to go down to a lower floor).

Etymology traces the word to Latin descendere, from de- “down” and scandere “to climb.” The French form descendre preserves the idea of moving downward from a higher place or level.

Conjugation and grammar notes: descendre is an -re verb with the standard present tense endings. Present indicative: je descends, tu descends, il descend, nous descendons, vous descendez, ils descendent. The passé composé uses the auxiliary être: je suis descendu(e); the past participle is descended, agreeing in gender and number with the subject. Other tenses follow regular -re verb patterns, with the imperfect: je descendais, and the future: je descendrai. The subjunctive present forms: que je descende, que tu descendes, qu’il descende, que nous descendions, que vous descendiez, qu’ils descendent. Imperative forms are: descends, descendons, descendez.

Examples: Je descends du train à Paris. Les prix descendent souvent en été. Elle est descendue rapidement par l’escalier. Descends, s’il te plaît, jusqu’au rez-de-chaussée.

See also: monter, remonter, descente (noun).