Destruir Conjugation in Spanish
destruir means "to destroy" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about destroying — buildings, plans, evidence, and things broken beyond repair, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of destruir in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Destruir is a irregular (y-insertion in the present and gerund) -ir verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: El fuego destruye el edificio en pocas horas. — "The fire destroys the building in a few hours.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: destruir
- English: to destroy
- Verb type: Irregular (y-insertion in the present and gerund) -ir verb
- Gerund: destruyendo
- Past participle: destruido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + destruido)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of destruir with all six persons. The gerund is destruyendo and the past participle is destruido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruyo |
| tú | destruyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruye |
| nosotros/as | destruimos |
| vosotros/as | destruís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruyen |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruí |
| tú | destruiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruyó |
| nosotros/as | destruimos |
| vosotros/as | destruisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruyeron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruía |
| tú | destruías |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruía |
| nosotros/as | destruíamos |
| vosotros/as | destruíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruiré |
| tú | destruirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruirá |
| nosotros/as | destruiremos |
| vosotros/as | destruiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruiría |
| tú | destruirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruiría |
| nosotros/as | destruiríamos |
| vosotros/as | destruiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he destruido |
| tú | has destruido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha destruido |
| nosotros/as | hemos destruido |
| vosotros/as | habéis destruido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han destruido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había destruido |
| tú | habías destruido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había destruido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos destruido |
| vosotros/as | habíais destruido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían destruido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré destruido |
| tú | habrás destruido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá destruido |
| nosotros/as | habremos destruido |
| vosotros/as | habréis destruido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán destruido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría destruido |
| tú | habrías destruido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría destruido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos destruido |
| vosotros/as | habríais destruido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían destruido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruya |
| tú | destruyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruya |
| nosotros/as | destruyamos |
| vosotros/as | destruyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruyan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | destruyera |
| tú | destruyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruyera |
| nosotros/as | destruyéramos |
| vosotros/as | destruyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | destruye |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruya |
| nosotros/as | destruyamos |
| vosotros/as | destruid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruyan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | destruyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | destruya |
| nosotros/as | destruyamos |
| vosotros/as | destruyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | destruyan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | destruyendo |
| Past participle | destruido |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with destruir, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo destruyo el edificio.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo destruí el edificio.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo destruía el edificio.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo destruiré el edificio.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo destruiría el edificio si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he destruido el edificio.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había destruido el edificio antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré destruido el edificio.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría destruido el edificio si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él destruya el edificio.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él destruyera el edificio, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Destruye el edificio!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No destruyas el edificio.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with destruir, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- El fuego destruye el edificio en pocas horas. — "The fire destroys the building in a few hours."
- ¿Tú destruyes el edificio viejo? — "Will you destroy the old building?"
- Ayer destruyó el edificio abandonado. — "Yesterday he destroyed the abandoned building."
- Ellos destruían el edificio durante la guerra. — "They were destroying the building during the war."
- Mañana destruiré el edificio si me dan permiso. — "Tomorrow I will destroy the building if they give me permission."
- Yo destruiría el edificio si fuera necesario. — "I would destroy the building if it were necessary."
- Ya he destruido el edificio viejo. — "I have already destroyed the old building."
- Espero que no destruya el edificio histórico. — "I hope he does not destroy the historic building."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with destruir — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo destruo el edificio. → Right: Yo destruyo el edificio.. Destruir inserts a y: destruyo, destruyes, destruye — never destruo. The y appears in the present, the gerund (destruyendo) and the preterite third person (destruyó, destruyeron).
- Wrong: *Estoy destruendo el edificio. → Right: Estoy destruyendo el edificio.. The gerund is destruyendo, with y. Dropping the y is the most common spelling mistake with this verb.
- Wrong: *Ellos destruieron el edificio — the y is often forgotten: destruieron is wrong. → Right: Ellos destruyeron el edificio.. The preterite third person is destruyeron, with y. The other preterite forms are regular: destruí, destruiste, destruimos.
- Wrong: *Espero que tú destruas el edificio. → Right: Espero que tú destruyas el edificio.. The subjunctive keeps the y too: destruya, destruyas, destruya. And after espero que, the subjunctive is required.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on destruir. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of destruir in the present indicative?
- a) destruyo
- b) destruye
- c) destruyes
- d) destruimos
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of destruir in the preterite (past)?
- a) destruí
- b) destruimos
- c) destruiste
- d) destruyó
What is the nosotros/as form of destruir in the imperfect (past)?
- a) destruía
- b) destruíamos
- c) destruías
- d) destruía
What is the tú form of destruir in the future?
- a) destruiremos
- b) destruirás
- c) destruirá
- d) destruiré
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of destruir in the conditional?
- a) destruiría
- b) destruirían
- c) destruirías
- d) destruiría
What is the yo form of destruir in the present subjunctive?
- a) destruya
- b) destruyamos
- c) destruya
- d) destruyas
What is the gerund of destruir?
- a) destruir
- b) destruido
- c) destruyendo
- d) destruye
What is the past participle of destruir?
- a) he destruido
- b) destruyendo
- c) destruyo
- d) destruido
What does destruir mean in English?
- a) to play (an instrument), to touch
- b) to destroy
- c) to whisper
- d) to fulfil, to turn (an age)
The form destruí belongs to which tense?
- a) Imperfect
- b) Present
- c) Preterite
- d) Future
Answer key
- destruyo — The yo form in the present indicative is destruyo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- destruyó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is destruyó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- destruíamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is destruíamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- destruirás — The tú form in the future is destruirás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- destruirían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is destruirían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- destruya — The yo form in the present subjunctive is destruya — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- destruyendo — The gerund is destruyendo — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy destruyendo). The past participle is destruido.
- destruido — The past participle is destruido — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he destruido).
- to destroy — destruir means "to destroy".
- Preterite — destruí is the yo form of the preterite of destruir — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is destruía.
Frequently asked questions
Is destruir regular?
No. Like construir, destruir inserts a y in the present (destruyo, destruyes, destruye, destruyen), the gerund (destruyendo) and the preterite third person (destruyó, destruyeron). The nosotros and vosotros forms — destruimos, destruís — are regular.
What is the difference between destruir and romper?
Romper means to break something into pieces, while destruir means to destroy it completely, beyond repair. You break (rompes) a glass; you destroy (destruyes) a building. Destruir is stronger and more final.
What is the gerund of destruir?
Destruyendo. Use it with estar: Están destruyendo el edificio. The y is essential — destruendo is a misspelling.
What is the past participle of destruir?
Destruido. The present perfect is he destruido, has destruido, ha destruido — for example: El incendio ha destruido el edificio.
Related pages
- Destruir in the present tense — the present tense of destruir in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Destruir examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with destruir and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where destruir sits among the irregular verbs, grouped by pattern.
- Construir conjugation — another verb in the same family as destruir.
- Romper conjugation — another verb in the same family as destruir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise destruir with this tool.
- Past Participle Finder — practise destruir with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.