destruyeron

Destruyeron is the pretérito indefinido (pretérito simple) form of the Spanish verb destruir, used in the third person plural to indicate that multiple subjects completed the action of destroying in the past. It is a narrative past tense common in literature, journalism, and everyday narration when referring to events that occurred and were finished.

Morphology and orthography: destruir belongs to the group of -uir verbs that change in the preterite. In the third person plural, the stem changes to include the letter y, yielding destruyeron. The corresponding singular form is destruyó. The full preterite paradigm for destruir is: destruí, destruíste, destruyó, destruimos, destruyeron. The addition of the -yeron ending in the plural reflects the irregular pattern of -uir verbs in this tense.

Usage and nuance: Destruyeron conveys that the destruction happened at a specific past time and was carried out by multiple agents. It often appears with direct objects (por ejemplo, edificios, puentes, archivos) and can describe events such asExplosions, wars, natural disasters, or vandalism. For ongoing or repeated past actions, other tenses are used, such as destruían (imperfect) or estaban destruyendo (past progressive). Synonyms include arruinar, devastar, and pulverizar, though each carries its own nuance.

Examples: Los saqueadores destruyeron el museo durante la revuelta. La tormenta destruyó varias viviendas a lo largo de la costa. See also: destruir, destrucción, destruido.