discerner
English
Etymology
Noun
discerner (plural discerners)
- One who, or that which, discerns, distinguishes, or judges.
- a discerner of truth, of right and wrong
- 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater:
- A great observer and discerner of men's natures.
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin discernere, assimilated into the first conjugation group (regular -er suffixed verbs).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /di.sɛʁ.ne/
Audio: (file) Audio (France (Paris)): (file) Audio (France (Toulouse)): (file) Audio (France (Vosges)): (file) Audio (France (Massy)): (file) Audio (France (Somain)): (file)
Verb
discerner
- to discern
Conjugation
Conjugation of discerner (see also Appendix:French verbs)
| infinitive | simple | discerner | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compound | avoir + past participle | ||||||
| present participle or gerund1 | simple | discernant /di.sɛʁ.nɑ̃/ | |||||
| compound | ayant + past participle | ||||||
| past participle | discerné /di.sɛʁ.ne/ | ||||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | je (j’) | tu | il, elle, on | nous | vous | ils, elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | discerne /di.sɛʁn/ |
discernes /di.sɛʁn/ |
discerne /di.sɛʁn/ |
discernons /di.sɛʁ.nɔ̃/ |
discernez /di.sɛʁ.ne/ |
discernent /di.sɛʁn/ |
| imperfect | discernais /di.sɛʁ.nɛ/ |
discernais /di.sɛʁ.nɛ/ |
discernait /di.sɛʁ.nɛ/ |
discernions /di.sɛʁ.njɔ̃/ |
discerniez /di.sɛʁ.nje/ |
discernaient /di.sɛʁ.nɛ/ | |
| past historic2 | discernai /di.sɛʁ.ne/ |
discernas /di.sɛʁ.na/ |
discerna /di.sɛʁ.na/ |
discernâmes /di.sɛʁ.nam/ |
discernâtes /di.sɛʁ.nat/ |
discernèrent /di.sɛʁ.nɛʁ/ | |
| future | discernerai /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁe/ |
discerneras /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁa/ |
discernera /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁa/ |
discernerons /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁɔ̃/ |
discernerez /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁe/ |
discerneront /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁɔ̃/ | |
| conditional | discernerais /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁɛ/ |
discernerais /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁɛ/ |
discernerait /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁɛ/ |
discernerions /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁjɔ̃/ |
discerneriez /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁje/ |
discerneraient /di.sɛʁ.nə.ʁɛ/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
present perfect | present indicative of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| past anterior2 | past historic of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | future of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | conditional of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que je (j’) | que tu | qu’il, qu’elle | que nous | que vous | qu’ils, qu’elles | |
| (simple tenses) |
present | discerne /di.sɛʁn/ |
discernes /di.sɛʁn/ |
discerne /di.sɛʁn/ |
discernions /di.sɛʁ.njɔ̃/ |
discerniez /di.sɛʁ.nje/ |
discernent /di.sɛʁn/ |
| imperfect2 | discernasse /di.sɛʁ.nas/ |
discernasses /di.sɛʁ.nas/ |
discernât /di.sɛʁ.na/ |
discernassions /di.sɛʁ.na.sjɔ̃/ |
discernassiez /di.sɛʁ.na.sje/ |
discernassent /di.sɛʁ.nas/ | |
| (compound tenses) |
past | present subjunctive of avoir + past participle | |||||
| pluperfect2 | imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | – | – | ||||
| simple | — | discerne /di.sɛʁn/ |
— | discernons /di.sɛʁ.nɔ̃/ |
discernez /di.sɛʁ.ne/ |
— | |
| compound | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | simple imperative of avoir + past participle | — | |
| 1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en. | |||||||
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81). | |||||||
Derived terms
Related terms
See also
Further reading
- “discerner”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012
Anagrams
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /disθeɾˈneɾ/ [d̪is.θeɾˈneɾ] (Spain, Equatorial Guinea)
- IPA(key): /diseɾˈneɾ/ [d̪i.seɾˈneɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)
- Rhymes: -eɾ
- Syllabification: dis‧cer‧ner
Verb
discerner (first-person singular present discierno, first-person singular preterite discerní, past participle discernido)
- obsolete form of discernir
Conjugation
Conjugation of discerner (e-ie alternation) (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)
| infinitive | discerner | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gerund | discerniendo | ||||||
| past participle | masculine | feminine | |||||
| singular | discernido | discernida | |||||
| plural | discernidos | discernidas | |||||
| singular | plural | ||||||
| 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | ||
| indicative | yo | tú vos |
él/ella/ello usted |
nosotros nosotras |
vosotros vosotras |
ellos/ellas ustedes | |
| present | discierno | disciernestú discernésvos |
discierne | discernemos | discernéis | disciernen | |
| imperfect | discernía | discernías | discernía | discerníamos | discerníais | discernían | |
| preterite | discerní | discerniste | discernió | discernimos | discernisteis | discernieron | |
| future | discerneré | discernerás | discernerá | discerneremos | discerneréis | discernerán | |
| conditional | discernería | discernerías | discernería | discerneríamos | discerneríais | discernerían | |
| subjunctive | yo | tú vos |
él/ella/ello usted |
nosotros nosotras |
vosotros vosotras |
ellos/ellas ustedes | |
| present | discierna | disciernastú discernásvos2 |
discierna | discernamos | discernáis | disciernan | |
| imperfect (ra) |
discerniera | discernieras | discerniera | discerniéramos | discernierais | discernieran | |
| imperfect (se) |
discerniese | discernieses | discerniese | discerniésemos | discernieseis | discerniesen | |
| future1 | discerniere | discernieres | discerniere | discerniéremos | discerniereis | discernieren | |
| imperative | — | tú vos |
usted | nosotros nosotras |
vosotros vosotras |
ustedes | |
| affirmative | disciernetú discernévos |
discierna | discernamos | discerned | disciernan | ||
| negative | no disciernas | no discierna | no discernamos | no discernáis | no disciernan | ||
Selected combined forms of discerner (e-ie alternation)
These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | 1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | ||
| with infinitive discerner | dative | discernerme | discernerte | discernerle, discernerse | discernernos | discerneros | discernerles, discernerse |
| accusative | discernerme | discernerte | discernerlo, discernerla, discernerse | discernernos | discerneros | discernerlos, discernerlas, discernerse | |
| with gerund discerniendo | dative | discerniéndome | discerniéndote | discerniéndole, discerniéndose | discerniéndonos | discerniéndoos | discerniéndoles, discerniéndose |
| accusative | discerniéndome | discerniéndote | discerniéndolo, discerniéndola, discerniéndose | discerniéndonos | discerniéndoos | discerniéndolos, discerniéndolas, discerniéndose | |
| with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative discierne | dative | disciérneme | disciérnete | disciérnele | disciérnenos | not used | disciérneles |
| accusative | disciérneme | disciérnete | disciérnelo, disciérnela | disciérnenos | not used | disciérnelos, disciérnelas | |
| with informal second-person singular voseo imperative discerné | dative | discerneme | discernete | discernele | discernenos | not used | discerneles |
| accusative | discerneme | discernete | discernelo, discernela | discernenos | not used | discernelos, discernelas | |
| with formal second-person singular imperative discierna | dative | disciérname | not used | disciérnale, disciérnase | disciérnanos | not used | disciérnales |
| accusative | disciérname | not used | disciérnalo, disciérnala, disciérnase | disciérnanos | not used | disciérnalos, disciérnalas | |
| with first-person plural imperative discernamos | dative | not used | discernámoste | discernámosle | discernámonos | discernámoos | discernámosles |
| accusative | not used | discernámoste | discernámoslo, discernámosla | discernámonos | discernámoos | discernámoslos, discernámoslas | |
| with informal second-person plural imperative discerned | dative | discernedme | not used | discernedle | discernednos | discerneos | discernedles |
| accusative | discernedme | not used | discernedlo, discernedla | discernednos | discerneos | discernedlos, discernedlas | |
| with formal second-person plural imperative disciernan | dative | disciérnanme | not used | disciérnanle | disciérnannos | not used | disciérnanles, disciérnanse |
| accusative | disciérnanme | not used | disciérnanlo, disciérnanla | disciérnannos | not used | disciérnanlos, disciérnanlas, disciérnanse | |
Further reading
- “discerner”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025