Desceste

Desceste is a verb form in Portuguese that marks the past tense for the second-person singular subject of the verb descer, meaning to descend or go down. Specifically, it is the preterite indicative form used with the informal pronoun tu, as in tu desceste, which translates to you descended. The form is common in European Portuguese and appears in formal, literary, or regional contexts. In Brazilian Portuguese, this particular second-person singular preterite is much less common in everyday speech, where the equivalent meaning is typically conveyed with você desceu.

Etymology and family: descer derives from Latin descendere, formed from de- (down) and scandere (to climb). Desceste, as the past-tense tu form, shares the historical preterite pattern of descer in the Lusophone world.

Usage notes: Desceste is appropriate in narration or dialogue that uses the second-person singular in the past, especially in Portugal or in traditional literary registers. It can appear in historical writing, regional texts, or older works. In standard contemporary Brazilian Portuguese, speakers are more likely to use você desceu rather than tu desceste, though the second-person form may still be encountered in certain dialects or formal writing.

Example: Tu desceste as escadas com cuidado, sem olhar para trás.

See also: Portuguese verbs, descer, preterite tense, European Portuguese.