discutem

Discutem is the third-person plural form of the present indicative of the Portuguese verb discutir, meaning to discuss. It is used with subjects such as ellos/elas (they) or vocês (you plural) in many varieties of the language. The form denotes that a group currently engages in discussion or debate about a topic.

Grammatical notes: discutir is a regular -ir verb, so its present indicative paradigm follows the standard pattern. Full present indicative forms are: eu discuto, tu discutes, ele discute, nós discutimos, vós discutis, eles discutem. Hence, discutir, discuto, discutes, discute, discutimos, discutis, discutem. The specific form diskutem is not used; the form discussed here is the correct third-person plural present indicative, corresponding to English “they discuss.”

Etymology and related forms: discutir derives from Latin discutere, formed from dis- ("apart") and quatere ("to shake"), with a semantic shift from “to shake apart/unsupportedly examine” to “to discuss, debate, consider.” Related Romance language verbs include Spanish discutir, French discuter, and Italian discutere, all sharing a common Latin origin.

Usage and examples: Discutem is commonly used to describe group discussions or debates. Example: Eles discutem as opções antes de tomar uma decisão. (They discuss the options before making a decision.) Another example: Os especialistas discutem o impacto do mapa de calor nos resultados. (The specialists discuss the impact of the heat map on the results.) Discutem is therefore a frequent verb in formal and informal dialogue when indicating collective examination of a topic.