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destruye

des-TROO-yeh/desˈtɾu.ʝe/

“destruye” means “destroys” in Spanish (physical damage).

destroys, is destroying

Also: ruins, destroy!
VerbA2irregular (y-change) ir
A child's toy block tower being knocked over by a single finger.
gerunddestruyendo
past Participledestruido
infinitivedestruir

📝 In Action

El fuego destruye el bosque.

A1

The fire destroys the forest.

Ese ruido me destruye la paciencia.

B1

That noise is destroying my patience.

¡Destruye ese documento ahora!

A2

Destroy that document now!

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • destruye por completo – completely destroys
  • se destruye – it destroys itself / is destroyed
  • destruye la evidencia – destroys the evidence

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdestruyeran
yodestruyera
túdestruyeras
vosotrosdestruyerais
nosotrosdestruyéramos
él/ella/usteddestruyera

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesdestruyan
yodestruya
túdestruyas
vosotrosdestruyáis
nosotrosdestruyamos
él/ella/usteddestruya

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesdestruyeron
yodestruí
túdestruiste
vosotrosdestruisteis
nosotrosdestruimos
él/ella/usteddestruyó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesdestruían
yodestruía
túdestruías
vosotrosdestruíais
nosotrosdestruíamos
él/ella/usteddestruía

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesdestruyen
yodestruyo
túdestruyes
vosotrosdestruís
nosotrosdestruimos
él/ella/usteddestruye
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "destruye" in Spanish:

destroy!→destroys→is destroying→ruins→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: destruye

Question 1 of 2

If you want to tell someone to 'Destroy the letter!', which word do you use?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
destrucción(destruction) — Noun
destructor(destructive) — Adjective
destruido(destroyed) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'destruere', made of 'de-' (unmaking) and 'struere' (to build). It literally means to 'un-build' something.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: destroyFrench: détruit

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'destruye' mean the same as 'rompe'?

Not exactly. 'Rompe' means to break, but 'destruye' is much stronger—it means to ruin something so completely that it can't be used or fixed.

Why is there a 'y' in 'destruye' if the verb is 'destruir'?

It's a spelling rule! When an 'i' is caught between two vowels in Spanish, it usually changes to a 'y' to make the word easier to pronounce.