Discutimos

Discutimos is a verb form used in two Romance languages, Spanish and Portuguese. It represents the first-person plural form of the verb discutir, and can express either present action ("we discuss") or a completed past action ("we discussed"), depending on the context. The spelling is identical in both languages for this form.

Etymology: discutir comes from Latin discutere, meaning to shake apart, examine, or dispute. The English verb discuss shares the same root, via Old French and Latin. Cognates appear in other Romance languages, such as Portuguese discutir, Italian discutere, and French discuter.

Usage notes: In both Spanish and Portuguese, discutir can mean to talk about a subject neutrally or to argue with someone; the intended sense is determined by surrounding words and tone. In formal writing, it tends to imply a neutral examination of a topic, while in everyday speech it may carry a confrontational nuance. The ambiguity of tense is resolved by context, since the present and preterite forms share the same spelling for this verb form.

Examples: In Spanish present tense, a typical sentence is "Hoy discutimos el plan." In Spanish past tense, "Ayer discutimos sobre el presupuesto." In Portuguese present tense, "Nós discutimos as opções." In Portuguese past tense, "Nós discutimos sobre o problema." These examples show how the same word form can convey different times and subtly different attitudes depending on usage.