Practice
Discuss or discuss about: which is correct?
Your manager asks the team to discuss the budget. You can also say talk about the budget. In standard English, discuss about the budget adds a word that discuss does not need.
Use discuss directly before the topic, and choose talk about when you want a verb that takes about.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
discuss /dɪˈskʌs/
The short answer
Use discuss + topic in standard English. Use talk about + topic when about is part of the phrase. Write discuss the problem, not discuss about the problem.
We need to discuss the schedule before lunch.
Why it works: The schedule comes directly after discuss. No preposition is needed.
5 more examples
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The committee will discuss the new safety rules tomorrow.
Discuss takes the topic directly. The new safety rules are what the committee will consider.
Not this:The committee will
talk about the new safety rulestomorrow. What changes: Talk needs about before the topic, so this sentence uses a different verb pattern. -
Can we discuss your travel plans after the meeting?
Your travel plans follow discuss without about.
Not this:Can we
talk about your travel plansafter the meeting? What changes: Talk about expresses the same general subject, with about required by the phrase. -
They discussed whether the office should close early.
A whether clause can be the topic of a discussion. It still follows discussed directly.
Not this:They
talked about whether the office should close early. What changes: About introduces the whether clause after talked. -
I do not want to discuss it by email.
The pronoun it is the direct object of discuss.
Not this:I do not want to
talk about itby email. What changes: The pronoun comes after about when the verb is talk. -
The class discussed how to make the instructions clearer.
How to make the instructions clearer names the subject of the discussion.
Not this:The class
talked about how to make the instructions clearer. What changes: Talk about can also introduce a how-to clause as the topic.
Read the full guide
Check the verb before you choose a preposition. Discuss already includes the idea of talking about a subject, so it takes the topic directly. If you choose talk, use about before the topic.
Put the topic after discuss
Use discuss before the thing people are considering. The topic can be a noun, a pronoun, or a clause. Do not put about between discuss and that topic.
We discussed the contract before signing it.
The contract is the direct topic of the discussion.
Complete the sentence: The neighbors will discuss ___ parking problem.
Use the: The neighbors will discuss the parking problem.
Use about with talk
Talk has a different pattern. When you name the subject, use talk about. This is why talk about the contract is correct, while discuss about the contract is not the standard pattern.
We talked about the contract before signing it.
About links talk to the subject of the conversation.
Choose the missing word: They talked ___ the deadline.
Use about: They talked about the deadline.
Use clauses as topics
A whole question or idea can be the topic. After discuss, a whether, what, how, or why clause can follow directly. After talk about, the clause comes after about.
We need to discuss why the order was delayed.
Why the order was delayed is the topic, so it follows discuss directly.
Choose the pattern for this topic: discuss ___ we can reduce costs.
Use whether: discuss whether we can reduce costs.
Edit the extra preposition
If you write discuss about, remove about first. Then make sure the subject of the discussion comes right after discuss. This small edit usually gives you the standard form.
Incorrect: We discussed about the customer complaint.
Standard edit: We discussed the customer complaint.
Edit the sentence: I want to discuss about my schedule.
Write: I want to discuss my schedule.
Choose the tone that fits
Both forms can be useful. Discuss often fits a planned conversation about a specific issue. Talk about is common in casual conversation. Choose the verb that sounds right for your situation, then use its grammar pattern.
The doctors discussed the test results.
The sentence sounds focused because it names a specific professional topic.
Which sentence is correct in standard English: discuss the results or discuss about the results?
Use discuss the results. The topic follows discuss directly.
Before you go
Remember this
Use discuss directly before the topic: discuss the plan. Use talk about when you need about: talk about the plan. When editing, remove about after discuss and read the sentence again.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Discuss or discuss about: which is correct?"
Is discuss about correct in standard English?
In standard edited English, use discuss directly before the topic: discuss the issue or discuss the proposal. Discuss already carries the idea of considering a subject, so about is not normally added after it.
The committee will discuss the new safety rules tomorrow.
Can I use talk about instead of discuss?
Usually, yes, when the meaning is a conversation about a topic. Talk about is common in everyday speech. Discuss can sound more focused in a meeting or formal setting, but both forms need their own grammar pattern.
The committee will talk about the new safety rules tomorrow.
Can discuss be followed by a question word?
Yes. You can discuss whether something is possible, why a problem happened, or how to make a change. The clause is the topic of the discussion, so it comes directly after discuss without about.
Can we discuss your travel plans after the meeting?
What should I do when I find discuss about in my writing?
Remove about, then read the sentence again. If the noun or clause after it names the topic, the standard edit is usually correct: discuss the report, discuss whether to wait, or discuss how to respond.
Can we talk about your travel plans after the meeting?
Does discuss always sound formal?
No. Discuss can appear in ordinary conversation as well as in professional or academic writing. It may sound more deliberate than talk about in some situations, but the direct pattern remains the same in both casual and formal use.
They discussed whether the office should close early.