découter

Découter is not a standard infinitive in French. It is not listed in major dictionaries and is generally considered a misspelling or an informal nonce form associated with the more common verb écouter. In formal writing and standard usage, the verb meaning “to listen” is écouter.

Étymology and relation to écouter: The standard verb écouter comes from Old French escouter, itself from Latin auscultare, a root also found in medical terms such as auscultation. The noun l’écoute (the act of listening) shares this lineage. The form découter does not have an established etymology or meaning in standard French.

Grammar and usage of écouter: Écouter is a regular -er verb. It is transitive and takes a direct object: j’écoute la radio, tu écoutes la musique. It can mean listening in a physical sense (to hear with attention) or figuratively (to heed advice). Common conjugations include: je écoute, tu écoutes, il écoute, nous écoutons, vous écoutez, ils écoutent; passé composé: j’ai écouté; imparfait: j’écoutais; subjonctif: que j’écoute. The present participle form is écoutant, used in constructions like en écoutant attentivement.

Usage notes: Since découter is not recognized as standard French, its appearance is usually a sign of error. When referring to listening, readers should use écouter and its valid forms. Dérivatives include l’écoute (the act of listening) and l’écoutant (one who listens, or an earpiece in some contexts).

See also: écouter, l’écoute, écouteur.