Discutées

Discutées is the feminine plural form of the past participle of the French verb discuter. It can function as a past participle in compound tenses or as an adjective meaning “discussed” or “debated” in feminine plural.

Etymology and sense: discuter comes from Latin discutere, formed from dis- “apart” and quatere “to shake.” The word entered French as part of the -er verb family and acquired both a verbal past participle form and adjectival uses, allowing it to describe things that have been discussed.

Grammatical notes: When used in passé composé with auxiliary avoir, the participle generally does not agree with the subject; it only agrees with a preceding direct object. For example, in a context with a preceding object, you may see forms like j’ai discuté, les idées discutées, or les idées que nous avons discutées. As an adjective, discutées agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: une idée discutée, des idées discutées, les questions discutées.

Usage and examples: The form discutées appears in phrases such as les points discutées pendant la réunion (the points discussed during the meeting) and les propositions discutées par le comité (the proposals discussed by the committee). It is also used in relative clauses, as in les questions que nous avons discutées, where the participle agrees with the noun que refers to.

Translations and scope: In English, discutées corresponds to “discussed” or “debated,” depending on context. The term covers both a grammatical function as a past participle and a descriptive role as an adjective describing topics or items that have undergone discussion.