ascender Preterite Conjugation
ascender — to go up
The preterite of ascender is completely regular: ascendí, ascendiste, ascendió, ascendimos, ascendisteis, ascendieron.
ascender Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific event of climbing or a one-time job promotion that occurred at a definite point in time.
Notes on ascender in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, the preterite does NOT have a stem change. It follows the standard -er endings for the past tense.
Example Sentences
Ayer ascendí al pico más alto de la sierra.
Yesterday I climbed to the highest peak of the range.
yo
Ella ascendió a directora el mes pasado.
She was promoted to director last month.
él/ella/usted
Los globos ascendieron hasta las nubes.
The balloons rose up to the clouds.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Él asciendió.
Correct: Él ascendió.
Why: Learners often try to carry the stem change from the present tense into the preterite, but ascender is regular here.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'ascender' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: asciendo
The present tense of ascender features an 'e' to 'ie' stem change in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect
yo: ascendía
The imperfect of ascender is regular: ascendía, ascendías, ascendía, ascendíamos, ascendíais, ascendían.
Future
yo: ascenderé
The future tense of ascender is regular: add endings to the infinitive (ascenderé, ascenderás, etc.).
Conditional
yo: ascendería
The conditional of ascender is regular: add 'ía' endings to the infinitive (ascendería, ascenderías, etc.).
Present Subjunctive
yo: ascienda
The present subjunctive of ascender follows the 'e' to 'ie' stem change: ascienda, asciendas, ascienda, ascendamos, ascendáis, asciendan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: ascendiera
The imperfect subjunctive of ascender uses the 'ascendier-' stem: ascendiera, ascendieras, ascendiera, ascendiéramos, ascendierais, ascendieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: asciende
The imperative uses the stem-changed 'asciend-' for most commands, but 'ascended' for vosotros.
Negative Imperative
yo: no asciendas
The negative imperative of ascender is identical to the present subjunctive: no asciendas, no ascienda, no ascendamos, no ascendáis, no asciendan.