Discuter Conjugation in French
discuter means “to discuss” in English, and it is a verb French learners meet early and use often. This page gives you the complete conjugation of discuter — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.” Learning the forms on this page first, before you try to use the verb in conversation, saves you from guessing later: French spelling and endings change with the person and the tense, and discuter is no exception. Work through the tables one tense at a time, say each form aloud, and then test yourself with the quiz at the end.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: discuter
- English: to discuss
- Verb type: Regular -er verb
- Irregular in: — (regular in every tense)
- Gerund: en discutant
- Past participle: discuté
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
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.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for discuter. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discute |
| tu | discutes |
| il/elle | discute |
| nous | discutons |
| vous | discutez |
| ils/elles | discutent |
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discutai |
| tu | discutas |
| il/elle | discuta |
| nous | discutâmes |
| vous | discutâtes |
| ils/elles | discutèrent |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discutais |
| tu | discutais |
| il/elle | discutait |
| nous | discutions |
| vous | discutiez |
| ils/elles | discutaient |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discuterai |
| tu | discuteras |
| il/elle | discutera |
| nous | discuterons |
| vous | discuterez |
| ils/elles | discuteront |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discuterais |
| tu | discuterais |
| il/elle | discuterait |
| nous | discuterions |
| vous | discuteriez |
| ils/elles | discuteraient |
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai discuté |
| tu | as discuté |
| il/elle | a discuté |
| nous | avons discuté |
| vous | avez discuté |
| ils/elles | ont discuté |
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais discuté |
| tu | avais discuté |
| il/elle | avait discuté |
| nous | avions discuté |
| vous | aviez discuté |
| ils/elles | avaient discuté |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai discuté |
| tu | auras discuté |
| il/elle | aura discuté |
| nous | aurons discuté |
| vous | aurez discuté |
| ils/elles | auront discuté |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais discuté |
| tu | aurais discuté |
| il/elle | aurait discuté |
| nous | aurions discuté |
| vous | auriez discuté |
| ils/elles | auraient discuté |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discute |
| tu | discutes |
| il/elle | discute |
| nous | discutions |
| vous | discutiez |
| ils/elles | discutent |
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | discutasse |
| tu | discutasses |
| il/elle | discutât |
| nous | discutassions |
| vous | discutassiez |
| ils/elles | discutassent |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | discute |
| nous | discutons |
| vous | discutez |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | discute |
| nous | discutons |
| vous | discutez |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en discutant |
| Past participle | discuté |
When to use each tense
Present indicative
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Passé simple
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mainly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu discutas du projet avec mes collègues.” — “You discussed the project with my colleagues one day.”
Imperfect
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and background description. For example: “Il discutait du projet avec mes collègues quand j’étais jeune.” — “He used to discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Future
The future is used for what will happen, predictions and promises. For example: “Nous discuterons du projet avec mes collègues.” — “We will discuss the project with my colleagues tomorrow.”
Conditional
The conditional is used for what would happen, polite requests and hypothetical situations. For example: “Vous discuteriez du projet avec mes collègues.” — “You would discuss the project with my colleagues if you could.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for recent past actions and completed events. With discuter it is formed with avoir + the past participle discuté. For example: “Ils ont discuté du projet avec mes collègues hier.” — “They have discussed the project with my colleagues.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais discuté du projet avec mes collègues avant la fête.” — “I had discussed the project with my colleagues before the party.”
Future perfect
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras discuté du projet avec mes collègues.” — “You will have discussed the project with my colleagues by tomorrow evening.”
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait discuté du projet avec mes collègues.” — “He would have discussed the project with my colleagues if he had been able to.”
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il faut que je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “It is important that I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Imperfect subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is used for the past subjunctive: wishes and hypotheticals about the past, mainly in formal writing. For example: “Il fallait que je discutasse du projet avec mes collègues.” — “It was important that I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
Imperative (affirmative)
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Discute du projet avec mes collègues !” — “Discuss the project with my colleagues!”
Imperative (negative)
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Discute du projet avec mes collègues !” — “Do not discuss the project with my colleagues!”
Gerund and past participle
The gerund is en discutant — “while discussing” — used after en to say how something happens. The past participle is discuté, used with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai discuté.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with discuter, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Tu discutes du projet avec mes collègues.” — “You discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Il discutait du projet avec mes collègues.” — “He used to discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Nous discuterons du projet avec mes collègues.” — “We will discuss the project with my colleagues tomorrow.”
- “Je discuterais du projet avec mes collègues.” — “I would discuss the project with my colleagues if I could.”
- “Tu as discuté du projet avec mes collègues.” — “You have discussed the project with my colleagues.”
- “Il avait discuté du projet avec mes collègues.” — “He had discussed the project with my colleagues before the party.”
- “Nous aurons discuté du projet avec mes collègues.” — “We will have discussed the project with my colleagues by tomorrow evening.”
- “Il faut que je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “It is important that I discuss the project with my colleagues.”
- “Discute du projet avec mes collègues !” — “Discuss the project with my colleagues!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je discuter du projet avec mes collègues.”
✓ Right: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.”
The infinitive discuter never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form discute.
2. Confusing discuter with expliquer
✗ Wrong: “Je discute la leçon à mes élèves.” (meant as “expliquer”)
✓ Right: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.”
discuter means “to discuss”; expliquer means “to explain”. Keep the two verbs apart by their meaning, not by their sound.
3. Using the wrong auxiliary for the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis discuté du projet avec mes collègues.”
✓ Right: “J'ai discuté du projet avec mes collègues.”
With discuter the passé composé is formed with avoir, not être: ai discuté.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il faut que je discute du projet avec mes collègues.”
✓ Right: “Il faut que je discute du projet avec mes collègues.”
After il faut que French needs the subjunctive, so use discute here, not the indicative discute.
5. Using the present for a finished past event
✗ Wrong: “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues hier.”
✓ Right: “J'ai discuté du projet avec mes collègues hier.”
Yesterday’s finished event needs the passé composé (ai discuté), not the present.
Quiz: test yourself
What is the je form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discutent
- B) discute
- C) discutes
- D) discutez
What is the ils/elles form of discuter in the Present indicative?
- A) discutent
- B) discute
- C) discutons
- D) discutes
What is the il/elle form of discuter in the Passé simple?
- A) discutèrent
- B) discutâmes
- C) discutai
- D) discuta
What is the nous form of discuter in the Imperfect?
- A) discutions
- B) discutaient
- C) discutais
- D) discutiez
What is the tu form of discuter in the Future?
- A) discutera
- B) discuteras
- C) discuteront
- D) discuterai
What is the je form of discuter in the Conditional?
- A) discuterait
- B) discuteriez
- C) discuterais
- D) discuteraient
What is the il/elle form of discuter in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) avez discuté
- B) avons discuté
- C) a discuté
- D) ont discuté
What is the vous form of discuter in the Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)?
- A) avait discuté
- B) avaient discuté
- C) aviez discuté
- D) avais discuté
What is the gerund of discuter?
- A) en discutant
- B) discuterai
- C) discute
- D) discuté
What is the past participle of discuter?
- A) en discutant
- B) discute
- C) discuté
- D) discutais
Answer key
- B) discute — the je form of discuter in the present indicative is discute.
- A) discutent — the ils/elles form of discuter in the present indicative is discutent.
- D) discuta — the il/elle form of discuter in the passé simple is discuta.
- A) discutions — the nous form of discuter in the imperfect is discutions.
- B) discuteras — the tu form of discuter in the future is discuteras.
- C) discuterais — the je form of discuter in the conditional is discuterais.
- C) a discuté — the il/elle form of discuter in the present perfect (passé composé) is a discuté.
- C) aviez discuté — the vous form of discuter in the pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is aviez discuté.
- A) en discutant — the gerund of discuter is en discutant; it is used after en for actions in progress.
- C) discuté — the past participle of discuter is discuté; perfect tenses use avoir + discuté.
Frequently asked questions
What does discuter mean in English?
discuter means “to discuss”. You use it in everyday situations like the examples on this page — for example, “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” (“I discuss the project with my colleagues.”). It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is discuter regular or irregular?
discuter is regular: its endings follow the standard -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is en discutant and the past participle is discuté.
What are the gerund and past participle of discuter?
The gerund is en discutant — use it after en for actions in progress. The past participle is discuté — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai discuté.
What is the difference between discuter and expliquer?
discuter means “to discuss”, while expliquer means “to explain”. They are easy to mix up because they appear in similar situations, but their meanings are different. If you are unsure, check the full conjugation page for expliquer and compare the meanings in context.
How do I say “I discuss” in French?
Say “Je discute du projet avec mes collègues.” — “I discuss the project with my colleagues.” The je form of the present is discute, and it is the form you will use most often.
How to learn discuter
Start with the present tense: discute, discutes, discute, discutons, discutez, discutent. Say them in order every day for a week, then add the passé composé — ai discuté — and the imperfect — discutais. Next, learn the future (discuterai) and the conditional (discuterais), which share the same stem. Finally, tackle the subjunctive (discute) and the imperative (discute). Write one sentence of your own in each tense, using the examples above as models, and check every form against the tables. When you can produce all six persons of the present without looking, move on to the present-tense quiz.
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.