descendais

Descendáis is the second-person plural present subjunctive form of the Spanish verb descender, meaning to descend or go down. It is used with the pronoun vosotros, the informal plural subject common in Spain, in subordinate clauses or after verbs and conjunctions that require the subjunctive mood (for example, expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, or possibility).

Regional usage and equivalents

In Spain, you may encounter descendáis in contexts such as “Espero que vosotros descendáis por la colina con cuidado.” In most of Latin America, where the pronoun vosotros is not standard, the corresponding form for ustedes in the present subjunctive is desciendan (third-person plural form with ustedes). Thus, the choice between descendáis and desciendan reflects regional pronoun use rather than a difference in meaning.

Formation and orthography

Descender is a regular -er verb in this mood, and the present subjunctive vosotros form is descendáis, with an accent on the i in the final syllable to indicate stress: des-cen-dáis. The form contrasts with the nosotros, vosotros, and ellos/ellas forms in the present subjunctive: desciendamos, descendáis, desciendan.

Etymology

Descender derives from Latin descendere, meaning to go down, with the present-subjunctive pattern following standard Spanish conjugation for -er verbs.

See also

Descer, present subjunctive forms for other subject pronouns, and regional variations involving vos vs ustedes. Descendáis is primarily of interest in contexts using the vosotros form and in discussions of Spanish grammar and regional variation.