détruire

The general, all-purpose verb for destruction — a building, a document, an argument, or a relationship can all être détruit(e). It's irregular (je détruis, il détruit, nous détruisons) and follows the same pattern as construire and conduire.

• L'incendie a détruit plusieurs maisons du village. — The fire destroyed several houses in the village.
• Elle a détruit tous les documents compromettants. — She destroyed all the compromising documents.
• Ce scandale a détruit sa réputation en quelques jours. — This scandal destroyed his reputation in a few days.

Learners often mis-form the third-person plural as *ils détruient* — the correct form is ils détruisent, following construire's -uire pattern, not a simple -ent tacked onto the singular stem.

• book Détruire, dit-elle — Marguerite Duras' 1969 novel, which she adapted herself into a film of the same year — one of her best-known works, blending sparse dialogue with themes of desire and destruction.