Discuter Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of discuter — “to discuss” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for discuter, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for discuter, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of discuter
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for discuter. discuter is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — discuter
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discute |
| tu | discutes |
| il/elle | discute |
| nous | discutons |
| vous | discutez |
| ils/elles | discutent |
The gerund of discuter is en discutant and the past participle is discuté. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of discuter is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem discut- (the infinitive discuter without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → discute, tu → discutes, il/elle → discute, nous → discutons, vous → discutez, ils/elles → discutent. So discuter gives discute, discutes, discute, discutons, discutez, discutent.
When to use the present tense of discuter
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with discuter: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues tous les jours.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with discuter: “Tu discutes du projet avec mes collègues en général.” — “You discuss the project with my colleagues.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with discuter: “Il discute du projet avec mes collègues maintenant.” — “He discusses the project with my colleagues.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with discuter: “Nous discutons du projet avec mes collègues demain.” — “We discuss the project with my colleagues.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with discuter: “Ils discutent du projet avec mes collègues souvent.” — “They discuss the project with my colleagues.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: discuter now, discuter later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues tous les jours.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Future: “Je discuterai du projet avec mes collègues demain.” — “I will discuss the project with my colleagues tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu discutes du projet avec mes collègues maintenant.” — “You discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Future: “Tu discuteras du projet avec mes collègues demain.” — “You will discuss the project with my colleagues tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous discutons du projet avec mes collègues en classe.” — “We discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Future: “Nous discuterons du projet avec mes collègues demain.” — “We will discuss the project with my colleagues tomorrow.”
Example sentences: discuter in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of discuter, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues tous les jours.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Tu discutes du projet avec mes collègues chaque matin.” — “You discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Il discute du projet avec mes collègues souvent.” — “He discusses the project with my colleagues.”
- “Nous discutons du projet avec mes collègues maintenant.” — “We discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Vous discutez du projet avec mes collègues en général.” — “You discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Ils discutent du projet avec mes collègues le week-end.” — “They discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Common mistakes with discuter in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je discuter du projet avec mes collègues.”
Right: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form discute.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu discute du projet avec mes collègues.”
Right: “Tu discutes du projet avec mes collègues.”
After tu you need discutes, not the je form discute. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “Je discuterai du projet avec mes collègues.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (discuterai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai discuté du projet avec mes collègues tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: discuter in the present tense
What is the je form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discutent
- B) discute
- C) discutes
- D) discutez
What is the tu form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discutez
- B) discutons
- C) discutent
- D) discutes
What is the il/elle form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discute
- B) discutons
- C) discutez
- D) discutent
What is the nous form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discute
- B) discutez
- C) discutes
- D) discutons
What is the vous form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discutez
- B) discute
- C) discutons
- D) discutes
What is the ils/elles form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discute
- B) discutent
- C) discutes
- D) discutons
What is the gerund of discuter?
- A) discuté
- B) discute
- C) discuterai
- D) en discutant
What does discuter mean in English?
- A) to go
- B) to discuss
- C) to have
- D) to be
Answer key
- B) discute — the je form of discuter in the present indicative is discute.
- D) discutes — the tu form of discuter in the present indicative is discutes.
- A) discute — the il/elle form of discuter in the present indicative is discute.
- D) discutons — the nous form of discuter in the present indicative is discutons.
- A) discutez — the vous form of discuter in the present indicative is discutez.
- B) discutent — the ils/elles form of discuter in the present indicative is discutent.
- D) en discutant — the gerund of discuter is en discutant.
- B) to discuss — discuter means “to discuss” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of discuter formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is discute and the ils form is discutent.
When do I use the present tense of discuter?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (discute), while the future is for what will happen (discuterai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of discuter?
On the full conjugation page for discuter, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of discuter in order, without looking: discute, discutes, discute, discutons, discutez, discutent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using discute, ai discuté and discuterai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- discuter in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- discuter examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Expliquer conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Compter conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise discuter with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise discuter with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.