The French verb descendre is a counterpart to monter, primarily meaning “to go down,” “to descend,” or “to get off.” Like monter, it can take either être or avoir in the passé composé, with the choice of auxiliary affecting meaning. It also carries additional contextual meanings.

Main meanings of descendre

1. To go down, to descend (literal and figurative)

Used for physical movement downward or decrease in level/status.

Examples:

• Elle descend l’escalier lentement. (She goes down the stairs slowly.)
• Les températures descendent en hiver. (Temperatures drop in winter.)
• Il est descendu au rez-de-chaussée. (He went down to the ground floor.)

2. To get off, to disembark (transportation)

When exiting vehicles or public transport.

Examples:

• Nous descendons du train à Lyon. (We get off the train in Lyon.)
• Descends du bus à la prochaine station. (Get off the bus at the next stop.)

3. To take down, to bring down (transitive)

When moving objects downward or removing something.

Examples:

• Peux-tu descendre la valise ? (Can you bring down the suitcase?)
• Il a descendu le tableau du mur. (He took the painting down from the wall.)

4. To stay/lodge (hospitality context)

In formal contexts, can mean staying at a hotel.

Examples:

• Ils descendent à l’Hôtel Ritz. (They’re staying at the Ritz Hotel.)

Passé composé: être vs avoir

With être (intransitive: no direct object)

For subjects moving downward independently.

Examples:

• Je suis descendu(e) à la cave. (I went down to the basement.)
• Les feuilles sont descendues lentement. (The leaves floated down slowly.)

With avoir (transitive: has direct object)

When the subject moves something downward.

Examples:

• J’ai descendu les bouteilles à la cave. (I took the bottles down to the cellar.)
• Elle a descendu ses affaires au sous-sol. (She brought her things down to the basement.)

Special uses and expressions

Criminal slang

• Descendre quelqu’un = to shoot/kill someone
• Les gangsters l’ont descendu. (The gangsters shot him.)

Sports terminology

• Descendre une piste = to ski down a slope
• Il a descendu la piste en trente secondes. (He skied down the slope in thirty seconds.)

Business/ranking

• Descendre en classe/division = to be demoted
• L’équipe est descendue en deuxième division. (The team was relegated to the second division.)

Conjugation highlights

Present tense

• Je descends
• Tu descends
• Il/elle descend
• Nous descendons
• Vous descendez
• Ils/elles descendent

Passé composé (with être)

• Je suis descendu(e)
• Tu es descendu(e)
• Il est descendu
• Elle est descendue

Passé composé (with avoir)

• J’ai descendu
• Tu as descendu
• Il a descendu

Contrast with monter

While monter focuses on upward movement:

• Monter dans le train (Get on the train)
• Descendre du train (Get off the train)

Both follow the same auxiliary verb pattern:

• Intransitive = être
• Transitive = avoir