Learn Swedish: Han skulle gärna diskutera vetenskapen. - He would gladly discuss the science.

Yes, there is a helpful pattern! Words ending in -skap that describe an abstract concept, state, or quality (like vetenskap for science, vänskap for friendship, or galenskap for madness) are almost always en-words. On the other hand, if the word describes a concrete physical area or a group of people (like landskap for landscape, or sällskap for company), it is usually an ett-word.

Where does the veten- part of vetenskap come from?

It comes from the verb att veta (to know). By adding the suffix -skap (which works a lot like '-ship' or '-hood' in English), you literally create 'the state of knowing' or 'the body of knowledge'—which is exactly what science is!

The translation says 'He would gladly discuss,' but could this also translate to 'He would like to discuss'?

Yes, absolutely! In Swedish, pairing skulle (would) with the adverb gärna (gladly or with pleasure) is the most natural way to say you would like to do a specific action. While you could say skulle vilja diskutera, using skulle gärna diskutera sounds highly natural and idiomatic.

Do I need a preposition after , like 'discuss about'?