Descendre — to go down | French Verb Chart
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📚 This is the overview. « descendre » is taught level by level — pick your CEFR level below for a full lesson (explanation, pronunciation, exercises & games).
Présent (Indicatif)
- je descendsI go down
- tu descendsyou go down
- il / elle descendhe / she goes down
- nous descendonswe go down
- vous descendezyou go down
- ils / elles descendentthey go down
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- je suis descendu(e)I went down
- tu es descendu(e)you went down
- il est descenduhe went down
- elle est descendueshe went down
- nous sommes descendu(e)swe went down
- ils sont descendusthey went down
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je descendaisI was going down
- tu descendaisyou were
- il descendaithe was
- nous descendionswe were
- vous descendiezyou were
- ils descendaientthey were
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je descendraiI will go down
- tu descendrasyou will
- il descendrahe will
- nous descendronswe will
- vous descendrezyou will
- ils descendrontthey will
Conditionnel présent
- je descendraisI would go down
- tu descendraisyou would
- il descendraithe would
- nous descendrionswe would
- vous descendriezyou would
- ils descendraientthey would
Subjonctif présent
- que je descendethat I go down
- que tu descendesthat you
- qu’il descendethat he
- que nous descendionsthat we
- que vous descendiezthat you
- qu’ils descendentthat they
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- descendreinfinitive
- descendantpresent participle
- en descendantgerund (gérondif)
- descendupast participle
- descends · descendons · descendezimperative
- êtreauxiliary in compound tenses
🎬 The 20-second version
Five phrases with « descendre » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Descendre
- Regular -re conjugation, but takes être in the past (a « house of être » verb): je suis descendu.
- BUT avec un objet → avoir: j’ai descendu les valises (I brought the cases down).
- Descendre = to go/come down, to get off (a bus/train): je descends à la prochaine.
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
auxiliary (no object) = ___ (house of être)
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être
with an object (j’ai descendu les valises) = ___ (transitive)
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avoir
to get off at the next stop = descendre à la ___ (transport)
Show answer
prochaine
Go further: How to learn French verbs — the pattern system.
Descendre conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of descendre?
je descends, tu descends, il / elle descend, nous descendons, vous descendez, ils / elles descendent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of descendre?
descendu(e) — the passé composé is « je suis descendu(e) ». Descendre uses être as its auxiliary verb. Because it takes être, the past participle agrees: elle est descendue, ils sont descendu(e)s.
How do you say descendre in the future tense?
« je descendrai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does descendre mean in English?
to go down. It is one of the essential French verbs — drill the present first, then the passé composé; those two tenses carry most conversations.
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🎬 All seven CEFR levels, end to end
« descendre » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →