Discuss; talk about (not discuss about)

 

“People discuss my art and pretend to understand as if it were necessary to understand, when it's simply necessary to love.” 

This is a beautiful quote by the artist, Claude Monet. It’s also a perfect example of the correct use of discuss in English. 

Discuss and talk about are equal in meaning. In conversations with English learners, I often hear “discuss about,” which is a common mistake. 

Discuss = talk about

You can say this: 

• Ron will discuss the options with his business partner. 
• Can we discuss this tomorrow?
• The lawyer couldn’t discuss his case with reporters. 

….or you can say it this way:

• Ron will talk about the options with his business partner. 
• Can we talk about this tomorrow?
• The lawyer couldn’t talk about his case with reporters.

You can’t say discuss about: 

• Ron will discuss about the options with his business partner.  - wrong
• Can we discuss about this tomorrow? - wrong
• The lawyer couldn’t discuss about his case with reporters. - wrong

Discuss about is a common mistake to avoid.