descendre

Senses

1. 1.

   to go down, to come down

   to move downward from a higher to a lower position

2. 2.

   to get down, to get off

   to exit or alight from a vehicle, horse, or elevated position

3. 3.

   to go downstairs

   to move from an upper floor to a lower one in a building

4. 4.

   to extend down; to hang down

   to reach down to a lower level

Examples

• "Elle descend l'escalier lentement."

  She goes down the stairs slowly.

• "Les passagers descendent du bus."

  The passengers get off the bus.

• "Ce fleuve descend des montagnes."

  This river flows down from the mountains.

Usage

*Descendre* is a common verb conjugated with *avoir* when transitive (descendre quelque chose) and *être* when intransitive (descendre quelque part). The pronominal form *se descendre* is rare; use *descendre* in the intransitive sense instead. Often used in everyday contexts and with various prepositions (de, à, jusqu'à) to specify direction.