Paul et Marie se disputent rarement, mais ils se réconcilient vite.

Here se is a reflexive pronoun, but in this sentence it has a reciprocal meaning: Paul and Marie do the action to each other.

So:

• se disputer = to argue / to quarrel with each other
• se réconcilier = to make up / reconcile with each other

In English, we often do not say themselves here; we just say they argue or they make up. In French, the pronoun is required.

French uses ils for a group that includes at least one male.

So:

• Paul + Marie → ils
• Marie + Sophie → elles

Because Paul is male, the pronoun for Paul et Marie is ils.

Both are in the present tense.

• se disputent = they argue / they are arguing
• se réconcilient = they make up / they are making up

In this sentence, the present tense expresses a habitual action or something generally true:

• Paul et Marie se disputent rarement = Paul and Marie rarely argue
• mais ils se réconcilient vite = but they make up quickly

So this is not necessarily about one specific moment; it describes what usually happens.

The endings -ent show that the subject is they (ils/elles) in the present tense.

• ils se disputent
• ils se réconcilient

Very importantly, the -ent ending is usually not pronounced in spoken French.

So:

• disputent sounds roughly like dispute
• réconcilient does not pronounce the final -ent

This is very common in French verb conjugation.

In French, short adverbs like rarement often come after the conjugated verb.

So:

• se disputent rarement = argue rarely / rarely argue

English often puts rarely before the verb, but French commonly puts rarement after it.

This word order is normal and natural:

• Ils mangent souvent.
• Elle parle bien.
• Nous sortons rarement.

So Paul et Marie se disputent rarement is the standard way to say it.

Vite is an adverb meaning quickly, and in simple tenses it often comes after the verb.

So:

• ils se réconcilient vite = they make up quickly

This is very natural French word order. Compare:

• Il court vite. = He runs fast.
• Nous répondons vite. = We reply quickly.

So both adverbs in the sentence, rarement and vite, are in normal positions after the verb phrase.

No. This is a very common point of confusion.

• discuter = to discuss, to talk something over
• se disputer = to argue, quarrel, have a fight

So:

• Paul et Marie discutent = Paul and Marie are discussing something
• Paul et Marie se disputent = Paul and Marie are arguing

Even though English sometimes uses argue for both discuss and quarrel, French usually keeps them more separate.

The comma separates two linked ideas:

• Paul et Marie se disputent rarement
• mais ils se réconcilient vite

This is similar to English, where we often put a comma before but when joining two full clauses.

So the punctuation is natural and helps show the contrast:

• they rarely argue,
• but they make up quickly.

A rough pronunciation is:

suh ray-kon-see-lee

A few useful points:

• se is often a light suh
• ré sounds like ray
• the -ent at the end is silent
• the ending -lient is not pronounced like English lee-ent; it is smoother, closer to lee

So the whole sentence is approximately:

Paul et Marie se disputent rarement, mais ils se réconcilient vite.

roughly:

Pol ay ma-REE suh dee-spyoot rahr-mohn, meh eel suh ray-kon-see-lee veet

That is only an approximation, but it helps show the silent endings and rhythm.

No, not with the same meaning.

To say Paul and Marie argue with each other, French normally uses:

• Paul et Marie se disputent

Without se, the verb would not express the same reciprocal idea. The se is an essential part of the expression here.

So for this meaning, you should learn se disputer as a set phrase.