descender Preterite Conjugation
descender — to go down
Descender is completely regular in the preterite: descendí, descendiste, descendió.
descender Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a completed action of going down, such as when a hiker finished a descent or a plane landed at a specific time.
Notes on descender in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, there is no stem change in the preterite. It follows the standard -er verb endings.
Example Sentences
El avión descendió a la pista puntualmente.
The plane descended to the runway on time.
él/ella/usted
Descendí las escaleras corriendo.
I went down the stairs running.
yo
Ellos descendieron al valle al amanecer.
They descended to the valley at dawn.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Applying the stem change: 'desciendió'.
Correct: descendió
Why: Stem changes for -er verbs usually only happen in the present tense, not the preterite.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: desciendo
Descender is an e-to-ie stem-changer in the present tense (except for nosotros and vosotros).
Imperfect
yo: descendía
The imperfect of descender is regular: descendía, descendías, descendía.
Future
yo: descenderé
The future tense uses the full infinitive 'descender' as the stem: descenderé, descenderás.
Conditional
yo: descendería
The conditional is regular: descendería, descenderías, descendería.
Present Subjunctive
yo: descienda
The present subjunctive follows the e-to-ie stem change: descienda, desciendas.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: descendiera
Formed from the 3rd person plural preterite: descendiera, descendieras.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: desciende
The imperative uses 'desciende' for informal commands and 'descienda' for formal ones.
Negative Imperative
yo: no desciendas
Negative commands use 'no' + present subjunctive forms: no desciendas.