discute

Discute is the present indicative form of the French verb discuter, meaning to discuss, talk about, or debate. It appears in sentences such as je discute, il discute, or elle discute, and is used to describe the act of exchanging ideas or arguments about a topic in both casual and formal contexts.

Etymology and usage: discuter comes from the Latin discutere, formed from dis- (apart) and quatere (to shake). In modern French, discuter covers a range of meanings from casual conversation to formal argument. It is commonly followed by de to specify the topic (discuter de quelque chose) or with avec to indicate the participants (discuter avec quelqu’un). The word can describe a light chat as well as a detailed negotiation, depending on context.

Conjugation notes: in the present tense, the forms are je discute, tu discutes, il discute, nous discutons, vous discutez, ils discutent. The uninflected form discute appears as the stem in the first- and third-person singular forms, clarified by the subject pronoun when used in a sentence. Beyond the present, discuter also appears in other tenses and moods with corresponding endings.

See also: discuter, discussion, dialogue. Discute is central to French discourse about exchanging ideas, from everyday conversations to formal deliberations.