Condescender Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb condescender means to condescend, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, condescender changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado — "I condescend to talk to his employee". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

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.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: condescender
  • English: to condescend
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: condescendiendo
  • Past participle: condescendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + condescendido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for condescender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for condescender. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condesciendo | | tú | condesciendes | | él/ella/Ud. | condesciende | | nosotros/as | condescendemos | | vosotros/as | condescendéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condescienden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condescendí | | tú | condescendiste | | él/ella/Ud. | condescendió | | nosotros/as | condescendimos | | vosotros/as | condescendisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condescendieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condescendía | | tú | condescendías | | él/ella/Ud. | condescendía | | nosotros/as | condescendíamos | | vosotros/as | condescendíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condescendían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condescenderé | | tú | condescenderás | | él/ella/Ud. | condescenderá | | nosotros/as | condescenderemos | | vosotros/as | condescenderéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condescenderán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condescendería | | tú | condescenderías | | él/ella/Ud. | condescendería | | nosotros/as | condescenderíamos | | vosotros/as | condescenderíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condescenderían |

Present perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | he condescendido | | tú | has condescendido | | él/ella/Ud. | ha condescendido | | nosotros/as | hemos condescendido | | vosotros/as | habéis condescendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | han condescendido |

Pluperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | había condescendido | | tú | habías condescendido | | él/ella/Ud. | había condescendido | | nosotros/as | habíamos condescendido | | vosotros/as | habíais condescendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían condescendido |

Future perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habré condescendido | | tú | habrás condescendido | | él/ella/Ud. | habrá condescendido | | nosotros/as | habremos condescendido | | vosotros/as | habréis condescendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán condescendido |

Conditional perfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | habría condescendido | | tú | habrías condescendido | | él/ella/Ud. | habría condescendido | | nosotros/as | habríamos condescendido | | vosotros/as | habríais condescendido | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían condescendido |

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condescienda | | tú | condesciendas | | él/ella/Ud. | condescienda | | nosotros/as | condescendamos | | vosotros/as | condescendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condesciendan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | condescendiera | | tú | condescendieras | | él/ella/Ud. | condescendiera | | nosotros/as | condescendiéramos | | vosotros/as | condescendierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condescendieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | condesciende | | él/ella/Ud. | condescienda | | nosotros/as | condescendamos | | vosotros/as | condescended | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condesciendan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | condesciendas | | él/ella/Ud. | condescienda | | nosotros/as | condescendamos | | vosotros/as | condescendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | condesciendan |

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund condescendiendo with estar for the progressive: está condescendiendo
Past participle condescendido with haber for the perfect tenses: he condescendido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. 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. For condescender, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado — "I condescend to talk to his employee".

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo condescendí en aceptar la invitación — "Yesterday, I condescended to accept the invitation".

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo condescendía a escuchar sus quejas — "As a child, I used to condescend to listen to their complaints".

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo condescenderé en bajar el precio — "Tomorrow, I will condescend to lower the price".

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo condescendería a hablar con su empleado si pudiera — "I would condescend to talk to his employee if I could".

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he condescendido en aceptar la invitación — "Today, I have condescended to accept the invitation".

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había condescendido a escuchar sus quejas antes de salir — "I already had condescended to listen to their complaints before leaving".

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré condescendido en bajar el precio — "By tomorrow, I will have condescended to lower the price".

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría condescendido a hablar con su empleado con más tiempo — "I would have condescended to talk to his employee with more time".

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. 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. For condescender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él condescienda en aceptar la invitación — "I hope he condescends to accept the invitation".

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past. The -ra forms are shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For condescender, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo condescendiera a escuchar sus quejas, todo cambiaría — "If I condescended to listen to their complaints, everything would change".

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. 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. For condescender, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Condesciende en bajar el precio. — "Condescend to lower the price.".

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. 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. For condescender, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No condesciendas a hablar con su empleado. — "Do not condescend to talk to his employee.".

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with condescender, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  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. Ayer, yo condescendí a escuchar sus quejas — "Yesterday, I condescended to listen to their complaints"
  4. Antes, nosotros condescendíamos en bajar el precio — "Before, we used to condescend to lower the price"
  5. Mañana, tú condescenderás a responder sus cartas — "Tomorrow, you will condescend to answer their letters"
  6. Yo condescendería a hablar con su empleado si tuviera más tiempo — "I would condescend to talk to his employee if I had more time"
  7. Él ha condescendido en aceptar la invitación — "He has condescended to accept the invitation"
  8. Espero que él condescienda a escuchar sus quejas — "I hope he condescends to listen to their complaints"
  9. Yo ya había condescendido en bajar el precio antes de salir — "I already had condescended to lower the price before leaving"
  10. Ellos condescendían a responder sus cartas cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to condescend to answer their letters when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo condescendo en aceptar la invitación. — Right: Yo condesciendo en aceptar la invitación. — 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.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él condesciende en aceptar la invitación — Right: Espero que él condescienda en aceptar la invitación — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él condescienda en aceptar la invitación — not the indicative Espero que él condesciende en aceptar la invitación.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo condesciendo a escuchar sus quejas — Right: Ayer, yo condescendí a escuchar sus quejas — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo condescendí a escuchar sus quejas.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo condescendí en bajar el precio todos los días — Right: De niño, yo condescendía en bajar el precio todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo condescendía en bajar el precio todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo condesciendo hablar con su empleado. — Right: Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado. — condescender takes a before this complement: Yo condesciendo a hablar con su empleado. Dropping the preposition is a common learner error.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on condescender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  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: Él ______ en aceptar la invitación — "He condescended to accept the invitation" (preterite) A. condescendiste B. condescendimos C. condescendió D. condescendí

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

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ en bajar el precio — "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: Espero que él ______ a hablar con su empleado — "I hope he condescends to talk to his employee" (present subjunctive) A. condescienda B. condesciendas C. condescendamos D. condescendáis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ en aceptar la invitación, todo cambiaría — "If I condescended to accept the invitation, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. condescendiéramos B. condescendierais C. condescendiera D. condescendieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ a escuchar sus quejas — "We have condescended to listen to their complaints" (present perfect) A. has condescendido B. ha condescendido C. hemos condescendido D. he condescendido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ en bajar el precio. — "Do not condescend to lower the price." (negative imperative) A. condescendamos B. condescendáis C. condesciendas D. condescienda

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

Answer key

  1. condesciendo — The present form for yo is condesciendo.
  2. condescendió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is condescendió.
  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. condescienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is condescienda.
  7. condescendiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is condescendiera.
  8. hemos condescendido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos condescendido.
  9. condesciendas — The negative imperative form is condesciendas.
  10. condescendiendo — The gerund of condescender is condescendiendo: estoy condescendiendo. The participle condescendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does condescender mean in English?

condescender means to condescend. It is used in everyday situations such as 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.

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. The nosotros and vosotros forms keep the plain stem, which is the part learners most often get right by accident.

What is the gerund and the past participle of condescender?

The gerund is condescendiendo and the past participle is condescendido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.

How do I say "I condescend" in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo condescendí en aceptar la invitación — "Yesterday, I condescended to accept the invitation". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo condescendía a escuchar sus quejas — "As a child, I used to condescend to listen to their complaints". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he condescendido en aceptar la invitación — "Today, I have condescended to accept the invitation".

What is the difference between condescender and dignarse?

Dignarse is the near-synonym for deigning to do something. Condescender is more common and less archaic in modern Spanish. 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.

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