discuter

Discuter is a French verb meaning to discuss, to talk about, or to debate. It denotes the act of exchanging ideas about a topic, weighing options, or examining an issue in dialogue. The verb is commonly used with the preposition de, as in discuter de quelque chose, and with avec, as in discuter avec quelqu’un. It can also appear without a complement, indicating a spoken conversation. Depending on context and tone, discuter can range from casual conversation to a thorough examination of details.

Discuter is distinct from se disputer, which means to quarrel, and from débattre, which often carries a more formal or argumentative sense. In everyday use, discuter can imply a collaborative or exploratory discussion, while débattre emphasizes weighing pros and cons in a more structured manner.

Etymology traces discuter to Old French discuter, from Latin discutere, meaning to shake apart or examine in detail. The sense of examining specifics gradually generalized to the act of discussing.

Conjugation follows the regular -er verb pattern. Present: je discute, tu discutes, il discute, nous discutons, vous discutez, ils discutent. Passé composé: j’ai discuté. Imperfect: je discutais. Future: je discuterai. Conditional: je discuterais. Subjunctive: que je discute. Usage examples: Nous discuterons des options demain. Ils ont discuté du problème toute la soirée. Elle discute avec son professeur pour clarifier les points.