Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.

My parents argue about the move.

Breakdown of Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.

• sobre: about
• mis: my
• la mudanza: the move
• el padre: the parent
• discutir: to argue

Questions & Answers about Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.

Why is discuten used here instead of a verb that looks more like English “discuss”?

In Spanish, discutir usually means “to argue” or “to have a heated discussion,” not a neutral “to discuss.”

• Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.
  → My parents argue about the move / moving.

If you want to say “discuss” in a neutral, calm sense, you would more often use expressions like:

• Hablar sobre la mudanza. – Talk about the move.
• Comentar la mudanza. – Comment on / discuss the move.
• Conversar sobre la mudanza. – Have a conversation about the move.

So here discuten implies some tension or disagreement.

What is the infinitive of discuten, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is discutir (an -ir verb).

In the present indicative:

• yo discuto – I argue
• tú discutes – you argue (informal singular)
• él / ella / usted discute – he / she / you (formal) argue(s)
• nosotros / nosotras discutimos – we argue
• ustedes discuten – you (plural) argue
• ellos / ellas discuten – they argue

In the sentence Mis padres discuten, discut-en is 3rd person plural (they).

Why is it mis padres and not mi padres?

Mi and mis both mean “my”, but:

• mi is used before singular nouns:
  
  • mi padre – my father
  • mi casa – my house
• mis is used before plural nouns:
  
  • mis padres – my parents
  • mis casas – my houses

Because padres is plural, you must say mis padres.

Does padres mean only “fathers,” or can it mean “parents”?

In this context, padres almost always means “parents” (mother and father together).

• mi padre – my father
• mi madre – my mother
• mis padres – my parents

Even though padre is masculine, padres is the standard word for “parents” in Spanish.

Why is it la mudanza and not just mudanza without the article?

In Spanish, definite articles (el, la, los, las) are often used where English can omit “the.”

• la mudanza literally = “the move” (as in “the act of moving house”).

Here, la mudanza refers to a specific move that the speaker and listener already know about. In English you might say:

• “My parents argue about moving.”
• “My parents argue about the move.”

Spanish strongly prefers the article in this situation: sobre la mudanza, not just sobre mudanza.

What exactly does mudanza mean here?

Mudanza is a noun meaning “move” in the sense of:

• moving to a new house / apartment,
• the act or process of moving, including packing, transporting things, etc.

So sobre la mudanza = “about the move / about moving (house).”

If you wanted the verb idea, you might see:

• Nos vamos a mudar. – We are going to move (house).
• Se están mudando. – They are moving (house).

Why is the preposition sobre used? Can we use de instead?

Sobre in this sentence means “about” or “regarding.”

• discutir sobre algo – to argue about something

You might also hear:

• discutir de algo
• discutir acerca de algo

However:

• sobre and acerca de sound a bit more formal or explicit as “about / regarding.”
• de is more general and can be less specific.

All of these are possible:

• Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.
• Mis padres discuten de la mudanza.
• Mis padres discuten acerca de la mudanza.

The most typical, neutral choices are sobre or acerca de here.

Could the word order change? For example, can I say “Mis padres sobre la mudanza discuten”?

In everyday modern Spanish, the natural word order is:

• Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.

You can sometimes move phrases around for emphasis, but:

• Mis padres sobre la mudanza discuten. – sounds awkward or poetic at best.
• Sobre la mudanza, mis padres discuten mucho. – possible, with special emphasis on “about the move” (more written or rhetorical style).

For normal speech, keep:

• Subject + verb + rest of the sentence:
  Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.

What’s the difference between discuten and están discutiendo?

Both are correct, but they have slightly different feels:

• Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.

  • Can mean they are arguing (now) or they argue (in general / repeatedly).
  • Spanish present simple is flexible.

• Mis padres están discutiendo sobre la mudanza.

  • Focuses more clearly on right now, at this moment.
  • It’s the present progressive, similar to English “are arguing.”

So, if you want to emphasize that the argument is happening right now, están discutiendo is clearer, but discuten alone can also cover that meaning in context.

Is discutir reflexive in this kind of sentence? Could I say “Mis padres se discuten”?

No. Discutir is not normally reflexive in this sense.

You say:

• Mis padres discuten. – My parents argue.

You do not say:

• ✗ Mis padres se discuten. – This sounds wrong.

If you want a clearly reciprocal / mutual idea, you can use pelearse:

• Mis padres se pelean. – My parents fight / argue (with each other).

So here, prefer:

• Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza.
  or
• Mis padres se pelean por la mudanza.

What’s the difference between discutir and pelear / pelearse?

Both describe conflict, but with different nuances:

• discutir (sobre algo)

  • To argue, usually verbally, often about ideas, opinions, decisions.
  • Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza. – They argue about the move.

• pelear / pelearse (por algo / por alguien)

  • To fight, can be physical or very emotionally intense.
  • Mis padres se pelean por dinero. – They fight about money.

In many everyday contexts, people use either one for “argue,” but discutir is more about the discussion / debate, and pelear(se) suggests a stronger conflict.

Why is the verb in 3rd person plural? Could the subject be left out, like in other Spanish sentences?

The verb is 3rd person plural (discuten) because the subject mis padres is plural (“they”).

Spanish often drops subject pronouns, but here the subject is a full noun phrase, not a pronoun:

• Mis padres discuten sobre la mudanza. – My parents argue…

You could replace mis padres with ellos (they):

• Ellos discuten sobre la mudanza.

And then you could drop ellos, because the verb form discuten already shows it’s “they”:

• Discuten sobre la mudanza. – They argue about the move.

So yes, you can omit the subject if it’s clear from context, but if you want to specify “my parents,” you say mis padres.