Discutir Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb discutir means to discuss, to argue, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Discutir means to discuss or to argue, and it covers discussing a price, arguing about politics and arguing with family. In Spain it leans towards arguing, while debatir is the neutral verb for a formal debate. It is a regular -ir verb. Like every Spanish verb, discutir changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say discuto el precio con el vendedor, and in the preterite you say discutí el plan con el equipo. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: discutir
- English: to discuss, to argue
- Verb type: regular -ir verb
- Ending: -ir
- Gerund: discutiendo
- Past participle: discutido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + discutido)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for discutir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Discutir is a regular -ir verb: discutí, discutía, discutiré. In Spain discutir de algo is to argue about it; discutir algo is to discuss it.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for discutir. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discuto |
| tú | discutes |
| él/ella/Ud. | discute |
| nosotros/as | discutimos |
| vosotros/as | discutís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discuten |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discutí |
| tú | discutiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | discutió |
| nosotros/as | discutimos |
| vosotros/as | discutisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutieron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discutía |
| tú | discutías |
| él/ella/Ud. | discutía |
| nosotros/as | discutíamos |
| vosotros/as | discutíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discutiré |
| tú | discutirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | discutirá |
| nosotros/as | discutiremos |
| vosotros/as | discutiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discutiría |
| tú | discutirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | discutiría |
| nosotros/as | discutiríamos |
| vosotros/as | discutiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he discutido |
| tú | has discutido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha discutido |
| nosotros/as | hemos discutido |
| vosotros/as | habéis discutido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han discutido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había discutido |
| tú | habías discutido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había discutido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos discutido |
| vosotros/as | habíais discutido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían discutido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré discutido |
| tú | habrás discutido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá discutido |
| nosotros/as | habremos discutido |
| vosotros/as | habréis discutido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán discutido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría discutido |
| tú | habrías discutido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría discutido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos discutido |
| vosotros/as | habríais discutido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían discutido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discuta |
| tú | discutas |
| él/ella/Ud. | discuta |
| nosotros/as | discutamos |
| vosotros/as | discutáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | discutiera |
| tú | discutieras |
| él/ella/Ud. | discutiera |
| nosotros/as | discutiéramos |
| vosotros/as | discutierais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutieran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | discute |
| él/ella/Ud. | discuta |
| nosotros/as | discutamos |
| vosotros/as | discutid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | discutas |
| él/ella/Ud. | discuta |
| nosotros/as | discutamos |
| vosotros/as | discutáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | discutan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | discutiendo | with estar for the progressive: estoy discutiendo |
| Past participle | discutido | with haber for the perfect tenses: he discutido |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Discuto el precio con el vendedor. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, discutí de política en la cena. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, discutía el plan con el equipo. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, discutiré con su hermano por el coche. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Discutiría el precio con el vendedor si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he discutido de política en la cena. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había discutido el plan con el equipo antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré discutido con su hermano por el coche. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría discutido el precio con el vendedor con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él discuta de política en la cena. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él discutiera el plan con el equipo, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Discute con su hermano por el coche! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For discutir, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No discutas el precio con el vendedor. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with discutir, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Discuto el precio con el vendedor. — I discuss the price with the seller.
- Discute de política en la cena. — He/she discusses politics at dinner.
- Ayer, discutí el plan con el equipo. — Yesterday, I discussed the plan with the team.
- Antes, nosotros discutíamos con su hermano por el coche. — Before, we used to discuss with her brother about the car.
- Mañana, tú discutirás el precio con el vendedor. — Tomorrow, you will discuss the price with the seller.
- Yo discutiría de política en la cena si tuviera más tiempo. — I would discuss politics at dinner if I had more time.
- Él ha discutido el plan con el equipo. — He has discussed the plan with the team.
- Espero que él discuta con su hermano por el coche. — I hope he discusses with her brother about the car.
- Yo ya había discutido el precio con el vendedor antes de salir. — I had already discussed the price with the seller before leaving.
- Ellos discutían de política en la cena cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to discuss politics at dinner when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo discute el precio con el vendedor. — Right: Yo discuto el precio con el vendedor. — The person matters: discute is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is discuto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Vosotros discutis de política en la cena. — Right: Vosotros discutís de política en la cena. — The vosotros present form carries a written accent: discutís, not discutis. The accent marks the stressed vowel.
- Wrong: Treating discutir and debatir as identical in every context. — Right: Discutir means to discuss, to argue, while debatir means to debate, the formal partner. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: discutir fits sentences such as Discuto el precio con el vendedor, while debatir belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy discutido de política en la cena. — Right: Yo he discutido de política en la cena. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he discutido, has discutido, ha discutido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo discutí el plan con el equipo todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo discutía el plan con el equipo todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (discutía), not the preterite. The preterite (discutí) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on discutir. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el precio con el vendedor. (present tense) A. discuto B. discutes C. discute D. discutimos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ de política en la cena. (preterite) A. discutí B. discutiste C. discutieron D. discutió
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ el plan con el equipo. (imperfect) A. discutías B. discutían C. discutíamos D. discutía
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ con su hermano por el coche. (future) A. discutiremos B. discutirás C. discutiré D. discutirá
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ el precio con el vendedor si pudiera. (conditional) A. discutiría B. discutirías C. discutirían D. discuto
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ de política en la cena. (present subjunctive) A. discutas B. discutamos C. discuto D. discuta
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ el plan con el equipo, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. discutiéramos B. discuto C. discutiera D. discutieras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ con su hermano por el coche. (present perfect) A. han discutido B. hemos discutido C. he discutido D. has discutido
Complete the command: ¡___ el precio con el vendedor! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. discute B. discuta C. discutamos D. discutid
Which is the gerund of discutir, used with estar for the progressive? A. discutido B. discuto C. discutí D. discutiendo
Answer key
- discuto — The first-person present of discutir is discuto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- discutió — The third-person preterite of discutir is discutió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- discutíamos — The nosotros imperfect of discutir is discutíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- discutirás — The second-person future of discutir is discutirás.
- discutiría — The first-person conditional of discutir is discutiría, the form for what would happen.
- discuta — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of discutir is discuta.
- discutiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of discutir is discutiera.
- hemos discutido — The nosotros present perfect of discutir is hemos discutido: hemos + discutido.
- discute — The affirmative tú imperative of discutir is discute.
- discutiendo — The gerund of discutir is discutiendo: estoy discutiendo. The participle discutido is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does discutir mean in English?
Discutir means to discuss, to argue. It is used in everyday situations such as Discuto el precio con el vendedor. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is discutir regular or irregular?
Discutir is a fully regular -ir verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including discuto in the present and discutí in the preterite.
What is the difference between discutir and debatir?
Discutir means to discuss, to argue, while debatir means to debate, the formal partner. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use discutir when you mean to discuss, to argue, as in Discuto el precio con el vendedor, and use debatir for to debate, the formal partner. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I discuss” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo discutí de política en la cena. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo discutía el plan con el equipo. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he discutido de política en la cena.
How do I practise discutir?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the discutir examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Discutir in the present tense — the full present-tense table for discutir.
- Discutir examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for discutir.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Debatir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with discutir.
- Esculpir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with discutir.
- Advertir conjugation — another -ir verb to compare with discutir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.