Bedeutung
To descend a flight of stairs.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In older Parisian buildings, the stairs are often made of wood and can be very squeaky. Residents are expected to 'descendre les escaliers' quietly late at night. The 'marches' of the Palais des Festivals are world-famous. 'Descendre les marches' is a moment of high fashion and media attention. In Montreal, many traditional houses have iconic outdoor spiral staircases. 'Descendre les escaliers' in winter can be dangerous due to ice. The 'esprit de l'escalier' is a philosophical concept about the regret of a missed opportunity for a witty comeback.
Liaison is Key
Always pronounce the 'z' sound between 'les' and 'escaliers'. It makes you sound much more native.
Auxiliary Verb
Remember: 'J'ai descendu les escaliers' but 'Je suis descendu' (without the object).
Bedeutung
To descend a flight of stairs.
Liaison is Key
Always pronounce the 'z' sound between 'les' and 'escaliers'. It makes you sound much more native.
Auxiliary Verb
Remember: 'J'ai descendu les escaliers' but 'Je suis descendu' (without the object).
Plural vs Singular
While you can say 'l'escalier' (the staircase), it is very common to use the plural 'les escaliers' to refer to the flight of steps.
The 'Esprit'
If you think of a joke too late, tell your French friends you have 'l'esprit de l'escalier'—they will be impressed!
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'descendre' in the present tense.
Nous _______ les escaliers pour aller au jardin.
For 'nous', the ending is '-ons'.
Choose the correct auxiliary verb for the passé composé.
Hier, j'_______ descendu les escaliers trop vite.
When 'les escaliers' is the direct object, use 'avoir'.
Match the French phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are all related to moving between floors.
Complete the dialogue with the correct phrase.
A: Où est la sortie ? B: _______, elle est juste là.
In most buildings, the exit is on the ground floor, requiring you to go down.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Stairs vs. Elevator
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenNous _______ les escaliers pour aller au jardin.
For 'nous', the ending is '-ons'.
Hier, j'_______ descendu les escaliers trop vite.
When 'les escaliers' is the direct object, use 'avoir'.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
These are all related to moving between floors.
A: Où est la sortie ? B: _______, elle est juste là.
In most buildings, the exit is on the ground floor, requiring you to go down.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, it is perfectly correct and very common, especially if you are focusing on the individual steps.
Because 'les escaliers' is a direct object. In French, 'descendre' changes its auxiliary based on whether it has an object.
It is masculine: un escalier, l'escalier, les escaliers.
You can just say 'Je descends' if the context is clear, or 'Je prends l'escalier'.
The opposite is 'monter les escaliers'.
It's better to say 'descendre par l'escalator' or 'prendre l'escalier mécanique'.
No, the final 's' is silent, but the 's' in the middle is pronounced like 's' in 'snake'.
The phrase is the same, but the accent and the physical type of stairs (outdoor spirals) might be different.
You use 'descendre du bus', but you don't add 'les escaliers' unless the bus has actual stairs inside.
It means to go down very fast, like running or tumbling.
Verwandte Redewendungen
monter les escaliers
contrastTo go up the stairs
dévaler les escaliers
specialized formTo run down the stairs
l'esprit de l'escalier
similarThinking of a comeback too late
un escalier en colimaçon
specialized formA spiral staircase
quatre à quatre
builds onTwo at a time (literally four by four)
