Descender Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb descender means to descend, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Descender means to go down: descender la escalera, descender de la montaña. It also means to descend from someone — descender de una familia — and for a team to be relegated. Like every Spanish verb, descender 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 desciendo la escalera con cuidado — "I descend the stairs carefully". 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: desciendo, desciendes, desciende and descienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: descendemos, descendéis.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: descender
  • English: to descend
  • Verb type: stem-changing -er verb (e → ie)
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: descendiendo
  • Past participle: descendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + descendido)

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

Full conjugation tables

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

Present indicative

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | desciendo | | tú | desciendes | | él/ella/Ud. | desciende | | nosotros/as | descendemos | | vosotros/as | descendéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | descienden |

Preterite

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | descendí | | tú | descendiste | | él/ella/Ud. | descendió | | nosotros/as | descendimos | | vosotros/as | descendisteis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | descendieron |

Imperfect

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | descendía | | tú | descendías | | él/ella/Ud. | descendía | | nosotros/as | descendíamos | | vosotros/as | descendíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | descendían |

Future

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | descenderé | | tú | descenderás | | él/ella/Ud. | descenderá | | nosotros/as | descenderemos | | vosotros/as | descenderéis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | descenderán |

Conditional

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | descendería | | tú | descenderías | | él/ella/Ud. | descendería | | nosotros/as | descenderíamos | | vosotros/as | descenderíais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | descenderían |

Present perfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Future perfect

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

Conditional perfect

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

Present subjunctive

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | descienda | | tú | desciendas | | él/ella/Ud. | descienda | | nosotros/as | descendamos | | vosotros/as | descendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desciendan |

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | yo | descendiera | | tú | descendieras | | él/ella/Ud. | descendiera | | nosotros/as | descendiéramos | | vosotros/as | descendierais | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | descendieran |

Imperative (affirmative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | desciende | | él/ella/Ud. | descienda | | nosotros/as | descendamos | | vosotros/as | descended | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desciendan |

Imperative (negative)

| Person | Form | |---|---|---| | tú | desciendas | | él/ella/Ud. | descienda | | nosotros/as | descendamos | | vosotros/as | descendáis | | ellos/ellas/Uds. | desciendan |

Gerund and past participle

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

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: desciendo, desciendes, desciende and descienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: descendemos, descendéis. For descender, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo desciendo la escalera con cuidado — "I descend the stairs carefully".

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 descender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, yo descendí de la montaña al valle — "Yesterday, I descended from the mountain to the valley".

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 descender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, yo descendía en ascensor al sótano — "As a child, I used to descend by lift to the basement".

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 descender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, yo descenderé el río hasta el mar — "Tomorrow, I will descend the river down to the sea".

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 descender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo descendería la escalera con cuidado si pudiera — "I would descend the stairs carefully 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 descender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, yo he descendido de la montaña al valle — "Today, I have descended from the mountain to the valley".

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 descender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo ya había descendido en ascensor al sótano antes de salir — "I already had descended by lift to the basement 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 descender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, yo habré descendido el río hasta el mar — "By tomorrow, I will have descended the river down to the sea".

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 descender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría descendido la escalera con cuidado con más tiempo — "I would have descended the stairs carefully 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: desciendo, desciendes, desciende and descienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: descendemos, descendéis. For descender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él descienda de la montaña al valle — "I hope he descends from the mountain to the valley".

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 descender, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo descendiera en ascensor al sótano, todo cambiaría — "If I descended by lift to the basement, 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: desciendo, desciendes, desciende and descienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: descendemos, descendéis. For descender, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Desciende el río hasta el mar. — "Descend the river down to the sea.".

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: desciendo, desciendes, desciende and descienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: descendemos, descendéis. For descender, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No desciendas la escalera con cuidado. — "Do not descend the stairs carefully.".

Example sentences

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

  1. Yo desciendo la escalera con cuidado — "I descend the stairs carefully"
  2. Mi amigo desciende de la montaña al valle — "My friend descends from the mountain to the valley"
  3. Ayer, yo descendí en ascensor al sótano — "Yesterday, I descended by lift to the basement"
  4. Antes, nosotros descendíamos el río hasta el mar — "Before, we used to descend the river down to the sea"
  5. Mañana, tú descenderás de categoría en la liga — "Tomorrow, you will descend a division in the league"
  6. Yo descendería la escalera con cuidado si tuviera más tiempo — "I would descend the stairs carefully if I had more time"
  7. Él ha descendido de la montaña al valle — "He has descended from the mountain to the valley"
  8. Espero que él descienda en ascensor al sótano — "I hope he descends by lift to the basement"
  9. Yo ya había descendido el río hasta el mar antes de salir — "I already had descended the river down to the sea before leaving"
  10. Ellos descendían de categoría en la liga cuando eran jóvenes — "They used to descend a division in the league when they were young"

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo descendo de la montaña al valle. — Right: Yo desciendo de la montaña al valle. — descender is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is desciendo, not descendo.
  2. Wrong: Espero que él desciende de la montaña al valle — Right: Espero que él descienda de la montaña al valle — After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él descienda de la montaña al valle — not the indicative Espero que él desciende de la montaña al valle.
  3. Wrong: Ayer, yo desciendo en ascensor al sótano — Right: Ayer, yo descendí en ascensor al sótano — Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo descendí en ascensor al sótano.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo descendí el río hasta el mar todos los días — Right: De niño, yo descendía el río hasta el mar todos los días — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo descendía el río hasta el mar todos los días.
  5. Wrong: Yo desciendo en la escalera con cuidado. — Right: Yo desciendo la escalera con cuidado. — descender takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo desciendo la escalera con cuidado.

Quiz: test yourself

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

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la escalera con cuidado — "I descend the stairs carefully" (present) A. desciendo B. desciendes C. desciende D. descendemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Él ______ de la montaña al valle — "He descended from the mountain to the valley" (preterite) A. descendiste B. descendimos C. descendió D. descendí

  3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ en ascensor al sótano — "We used to descend by lift to the basement" (imperfect) A. descendíais B. descendíamos C. descendía D. descendías

  4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ el río hasta el mar — "You will descend the river down to the sea" (future) A. descenderemos B. descenderás C. descenderé D. descenderá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ de categoría en la liga — "I would descend a division in the league" (conditional) A. descendería B. descenderías C. descenderíamos D. descenderíais

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ la escalera con cuidado — "I hope he descends the stairs carefully" (present subjunctive) A. descienda B. desciendas C. descendamos D. descendáis

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ______ de la montaña al valle, todo cambiaría — "If I descended from the mountain to the valley, everything would change" (imperfect subjunctive) A. descendiéramos B. descendierais C. descendiera D. descendieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ en ascensor al sótano — "We have descended by lift to the basement" (present perfect) A. ha descendido B. hemos descendido C. he descendido D. has descendido

  9. Complete the sentence: No ______ el río hasta el mar. — "Do not descend the river down to the sea." (negative imperative) A. descendáis B. desciendas C. descienda D. descendamos

  10. Which is the gerund of descender, used with estar for the progressive? A. descendí B. descendiendo C. descendido D. desciendo

Answer key

  1. desciendo — The present form for yo is desciendo.
  2. descendió — The preterite form for él/ella/Ud. is descendió.
  3. descendíamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is descendíamos.
  4. descenderás — The future form for tú is descenderás.
  5. descendería — The conditional form for yo is descendería.
  6. descienda — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is descienda.
  7. descendiera — The imperfect subjunctive form for yo is descendiera.
  8. hemos descendido — The present perfect form for nosotros/as is hemos descendido.
  9. desciendas — The negative imperative form is desciendas.
  10. descendiendo — The gerund of descender is descendiendo: estoy descendiendo. The participle descendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does descender mean in English?

descender means to descend. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo desciendo la escalera con cuidado — "I descend the stairs carefully". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is descender regular?

No. descender is a stem-changing -er verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: desciendo, desciendes, desciende and descienden — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: descendemos, descendéis. 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 descender?

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

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

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Ayer, yo descendí de la montaña al valle — "Yesterday, I descended from the mountain to the valley". For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: De niño, yo descendía en ascensor al sótano — "As a child, I used to descend by lift to the basement". For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Hoy, yo he descendido de la montaña al valle — "Today, I have descended from the mountain to the valley".

What is the difference between descender and bajar?

Bajar is the everyday verb for going down or lowering something. Descender is more formal and often used for mountains, rivers and ranks. Descender means to go down: descender la escalera, descender de la montaña. It also means to descend from someone — descender de una familia — and for a team to be relegated.

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