discutisse

Discutisse is the imperfect subjunctive form of the Italian verb discutere, which means to discuss or to debate. It is used in subordinate clauses to express doubt, possibility, wishes, or hypothetical or counterfactual situations in the past. In contemporary Italian, it appears most often in formal writing, literature, or careful speech; in everyday conversation, speakers may replace it with other moods or tenses.

Etymology and sense: The verb discutere comes from Latin discutere (dis- + quatere, to shake apart, to examine). The imperfect subjunctive form reflects the same semantic field of subjectivity and contingency as other verbs in the congiuntivo imperfetto, used to situate actions behind the frame of doubt, desire, necessity, or hypothetical conditions.

Conjugation: In the imperfect subjunctive, the standard forms of discutere are typically given as: io discutessi, tu discutessi, lui/lei discutesse, noi discutessimo, voi discuteste, loro discutessero. These endings follow the regular pattern for -ere verbs in the imperfect subjunctive, with individual forms varying slightly in practice between sources, especially for the first and second persons singular.

Usage notes: Discutisse appears in clauses introduced by se, come se, dopo verbi di opinione o dubbio, o in reported speech in the past. It is often paired with a conditional or a past conditional in the main clause to express hypothetical outcomes. In modern speech, it may be replaced by alternative constructions, but it remains common in formal prose and classic texts.

See also: discutere; congiuntivo imperfetto; Italian grammar; Latin discutere.