Discutait

Discutait is the third-person singular imperfect tense form of the French verb discuter. In full, it appears as il discutait, elle discutait or on discutait, and it is used to describe an ongoing or habitual action of discussing in the past. The imperfect tense in French generally sets the scene, describes background actions, or indicates repeated past activity.

Hidden within the word is the regular -er verb pattern. The present tense is discuter; the imperfect is formed by removing -er and adding the endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, with -ait occupying the third-person singular. Thus, il discutait follows the standard conjugation for an -er verb in the imparfait.

Etymology and sense: discuter comes from Old French discuter, itself from Latin discutere, meaning to shake apart or examine thoroughly. Over time, the primary sense shifted toward examining ideas through dialogue, giving rise to modern meanings such as to discuss, to debate, or to deliberate. The imperfect form discusses a past discussion, rather than a completed moment, and often appears in narratives to provide context or background.

Usage notes: discuter can take a topic as a complement (discuter d’un problème, discuter des options). In literate or formal writing, l’imparfait like discutait helps describe ongoing conversations, whereas passé composé would emphasize a completed discussion. In spoken French, discuter can also imply a casual chat, depending on context and intonation.

Examples:

- Il discutait avec son collègue lorsque le téléphone a sonné.

- Elles discutaient des avantages et des inconvénients du projet.