destruir
“destruir” means “destroy” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
destroy, demolish
Also: ruin
📝 In Action
El terremoto destruyó muchos edificios antiguos.
B1The earthquake destroyed many old buildings.
Tuvimos que destruir la evidencia antes de que llegara la policía.
B2We had to destroy the evidence before the police arrived.
El fuego destruyó completamente el bosque en pocas horas.
B1The fire completely destroyed the forest in a few hours.
ruin, wreck
Also: shatter, dismantle
📝 In Action
Sus mentiras destruyeron la confianza de sus amigos.
B2His lies ruined his friends' trust (confidence).
La crisis económica destruyó miles de empleos.
C1The economic crisis destroyed thousands of jobs.
Si sigues bebiendo así, te vas a destruir.
B2If you keep drinking like that, you are going to destroy yourself (ruin your life).
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: destruir
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses the figurative meaning of 'destruir'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *destruere*, meaning 'to tear down' or 'to unbuild.' It combines the prefix *de-* (meaning 'down' or 'away') and *struere* (meaning 'to build' or 'to pile up'). So, literally, it means 'to un-build.'
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'destruir' change the 'i' to a 'y' sometimes?
This happens in Spanish verbs where the vowel 'i' is unstressed and sits between two other vowels (or sounds like it is). The 'y' acts as a bridge to make the word flow more smoothly, like in 'destruyó' (he destroyed) or 'destruyendo' (destroying).
Is 'destruido' usually written with an accent mark?
No. Unlike some other -uir verbs, the past participle 'destruido' generally does not require a written accent mark over the 'i' because the stress naturally falls there, making it a common pattern that doesn't need the mark to break a diphthong.