Détruisons

Détruisons is the French verb form that represents the action of destroying. It is the first-person plural present tense of détruire, meaning “we destroy.” In addition to its factual sense, it can function as an imperative with the subject nous, used to propose action, as in “Détruisons les obstacles” meaning “Let us destroy the obstacles.”

Origin and meaning: détruire comes from Old French detruire, ultimately tracing to Latin destruere or distruere. The prefix de- signals reversal or undoing, and the root is linked to breaking down something built or standing. The overall sense is to reduce to pieces, ruin, or render unusable.

Grammatical notes: détruire belongs to the -uire group of French verbs. Its present tense forms are je détruis, tu détruis, il détruit, nous détruisons, vous détruisez, ils détruisent. The past participle is détruit, and the gerund is détruisant. The form détruisons follows the regular pattern for the nous form in -uire verbs and can appear in both indicative statements and invitational imperatives.

Usage: The term covers both physical destruction (objects or structures) and metaphorical destruction (reputations, myths, plans). It is a strong verb and can carry legal or ethical weight depending on context. In journalism and literature, détruisons can occur in rhetorical or evaluative statements. Related verbs include démolir and ruiner, which express similar ideas with varying nuances.

See also: French verb conjugation; -uire verbs; démolir; ruiner.