Condescender Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

condescender means "to condescend" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Condescender is a formal verb meaning to condescend or to agree graciously to something: condescender a hablar, condescender en aceptar. It takes a or en before the infinitive. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of condescender; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the condescender present tense page.

condescender in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado — "I condescend to talk to his employee"
  2. Mi amigo condesciende en aceptar la invitación — "My friend condescends to accept the invitation"
  3. Mañana, tú condescenderás a escuchar sus quejas — "Tomorrow, you will condescend to listen to their complaints"
  4. Yo condescendería en bajar el precio si pudiera — "I would condescend to lower the price if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo condescendí a hablar con su empleado — "Yesterday, I condescended to talk to his employee"
  2. Antes, nosotros condescendíamos en aceptar la invitación — "Before, we used to condescend to accept the invitation"
  3. Él ha condescendido a escuchar sus quejas — "He has condescended to listen to their complaints"
  4. Yo ya había condescendido en bajar el precio antes de salir — "I already had condescended to lower the price before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él condescienda a hablar con su empleado — "I hope he condescends to talk to his employee"
  2. Si yo condescendiera en aceptar la invitación, todo cambiaría — "If I condescended to accept the invitation, everything would change"
  3. Condesciende a escuchar sus quejas. — "Condescend to listen to their complaints."
  4. Yo habría condescendido en bajar el precio con más tiempo — "I would have condescended to lower the price with more time"

condescender in conversation

Two short dialogues that use condescender the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado — "I condescend to talk to his employee"
  • Marcos: Él condesciende en aceptar la invitación — "He condescends to accept the invitation"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo condescendí a escuchar sus quejas — "Yesterday, I condescended to listen to their complaints"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú condescenderás en bajar el precio — "Tomorrow, you will condescend to lower the price"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Condesciende a responder sus cartas. — "Condescend to answer their letters."
  • Lucía: Él ha condescendido a hablar con su empleado — "He has condescended to talk to his employee"
  • Marcos: Espero que él condescienda en aceptar la invitación — "I hope he condescends to accept the invitation"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo condescendía a escuchar sus quejas — "Before, I used to condescend to listen to their complaints"

Common mistakes with condescender

The errors learners actually make with condescender, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo condescendo en bajar el precio.

✓ Correct: Yo condesciendo en bajar el precio.

condescender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is condesciendo, not condescendo.

✗ *Espero que él condesciende en bajar el precio

✓ Correct: Espero que él condescienda en bajar el precio

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él condescienda en bajar el precio — not the indicative Espero que él condesciende en bajar el precio.

✗ *Ayer, yo condesciendo a responder sus cartas

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo condescendí a responder sus cartas

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo condescendí a responder sus cartas.

✗ *De niño, yo condescendí a hablar con su empleado todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo condescendía a hablar con su empleado todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo condescendía a hablar con su empleado todos los días.

✗ *Yo condesciendo escuchar sus quejas.

✓ Correct: Yo condesciendo a escuchar sus quejas.

condescender takes a before this complement: Yo condesciendo a escuchar sus quejas. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: condescender in use

Ten questions on condescender — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a hablar con su empleado — "I condescend to talk to his employee" (present) A. condesciendo B. condesciendes C. condesciende D. condescendemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ en aceptar la invitación — "Yesterday, I condescended to accept the invitation" (preterite) A. condescendí B. condescendiste C. condescendió D. condescendimos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ a escuchar sus quejas — "Before, we used to condescend to listen to their complaints" (imperfect) A. condescendíamos B. condescendía C. condescendías D. condescendíais

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ en bajar el precio — "Tomorrow, you will condescend to lower the price" (future) A. condescenderá B. condescenderemos C. condescenderás D. condescenderé

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ a responder sus cartas — "I would condescend to answer their letters" (conditional) A. condescendería B. condescenderías C. condescenderíamos D. condescenderíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a hablar con su empleado — "He has condescended to talk to his employee" (present perfect) A. hemos condescendido B. ha condescendido C. he condescendido D. has condescendido

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ en aceptar la invitación — "I hope he condescends to accept the invitation" (present subjunctive) A. condesciendas B. condescendamos C. condescendáis D. condescienda

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ a escuchar sus quejas. — "Condescend to listen to their complaints." (affirmative imperative) A. condesciende B. condescienda C. condescendamos D. condescended

  9. Which is the gerund of condescender, used with estar for the progressive? A. condescendí B. condescendiendo C. condescendido D. condesciendo

  10. What does condescender mean in English? A. to deign B. to enjoy C. to cross D. to condescend

Answer key

  1. condesciendo — The present form for yo is condesciendo.
  2. condescendí — The preterite form for yo is condescendí.
  3. condescendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is condescendíamos.
  4. condescenderás — The future form for tú is condescenderás.
  5. condescendería — The conditional form for yo is condescendería.
  6. ha condescendido — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha condescendido.
  7. condescienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is condescienda.
  8. condesciende — The affirmative imperative form is condesciende.
  9. condescendiendo — The gerund of condescender is condescendiendo: estoy condescendiendo. The participle condescendido is used with haber instead.
  10. to condescend — condescender means to condescend.

Frequently asked questions

What does condescender mean in English?

condescender means to condescend. For example: Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado — "I condescend to talk to his employee". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with condescender?

condescender takes a before this kind of complement, as in the examples above. Keep the preposition with the verb — dropping it is one of the most common learner errors with condescender.

Is condescender regular?

No. condescender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: condesciendo, condesciendes, condesciende and condescienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: condescendemos, condescendéis.

How do I practise condescender?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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