“Discuss about” or “discuss”?
Say “Let's discuss the plan”. Discuss already means “talk about”, so the topic follows it directly, with no about.
Let's discuss about the budget.
Let's discuss the budget.
Why Indian speakers say it
Hindi says “बजट के बारे में चर्चा करते हैं”, and के बारे में maps neatly onto about, so “discuss about” feels complete. In English, discuss takes its topic directly. About is correct with the noun discussion and with the verb talk: “a discussion about the budget”, “let’s talk about the budget”.
Three more examples
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| We discussed about the issue. | We discussed the issue. |
| I want to discuss about my salary. | I'd like to discuss my salary. |
| Let's discuss on this tomorrow. | Let's discuss this tomorrow. |
Quick self-check
Answer in your head, then open the answer.
Choose the correct sentence.
- Let's discuss about the timeline.
- Let's discuss the timeline.
- Let's discuss on the timeline.
Show answer
b) Let's discuss the timeline. Discuss takes the topic directly.
Which one is correct?
- We had a discussion about the timeline.
- We discussed about the timeline.
- We discussion the timeline.
Show answer
a) We had a discussion about the timeline. About works after the noun discussion.
Fill the gap: “Can we talk ___ the new policy?”
- (nothing)
- about
- on
Show answer
b) about Talk takes about; discuss does not.
Practise it out loud
Knowing the rule is not the same as saying it right under pressure. In WordSlick you practise sentences like these out loud with AskSlick, the AI tutor, and get corrections explained in Hindi. Mistakes you keep making come back in later sessions until they stop.
Questions
Is “discuss about” ever correct?
Not with the verb discuss. Use “discuss the topic”, “talk about the topic” or “have a discussion about the topic”.
Are there other verbs like this?
Yes. Mention, describe and emphasise also take their object directly: “mention the deadline”, not “mention about the deadline”.