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Les journalistes viennent de découvrir un secret.

Les journalistes viennent de découvrir un secret.
The journalists just discovered a secret.
From Lesson 70:The recent past (venir de + infinitive)·French

Questions & Answers about Les journalistes viennent de découvrir un secret.

How does viennent de découvrir mean 'just discovered'?
This sentence uses the recent past, which is formed by the conjugated verb venir (to come) + de + an infinitive verb (the unchanged dictionary form). While English simply adds the word 'just' before a past-tense verb, French literally says 'to come from doing something'.
Why is venir spelled as viennent here?
Because the subject Les journalistes is plural (meaning 'they'), we use the ils/elles form of the irregular verb venir. Notice the double 'n' in the spelling, and remember that the -ent ending on conjugated French verbs is completely silent when spoken!
Are the journalists in this sentence masculine or feminine?
We can't actually tell from this sentence alone! The noun journaliste is the exact same word for both men and women. Because there are multiple journalists, we use the plural word for 'the' (les), which is also the same for both genders. If there was only one, we would know by looking at the word for 'a' (un journaliste for a man, une journaliste for a woman).
Why isn't the verb découvrir conjugated?
In the venir de structure, only the first verb (venir) is conjugated to match the subject. The second verb must always stay in its full infinitive (unchanged) form. Therefore, French leaves découvrir exactly as it is, with its -ir ending intact.

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