détruaient

Détruaient is a French verb form that appears in written and spoken language. It is associated with the verb détruire, meaning to destroy, and is commonly described as the third-person plural imperfect indicative form. In practice, the imperfect of détruire is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, repeated, or in progress.

Morphology and standard usage

In standard French orthography, the imperfect of détruire is formed from the stem détruis- with the imperfect endings -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient, yielding détruisaient for ils/elles. Therefore, détruisaient is the conventional spelling for “they were destroying” or “they destroyed.” The form détruaient is often regarded as nonstandard or a misspelling in formal writing, though it may appear in some texts or as a regional variation. Correct usage typically follows détruisaient in narrative past contexts.

Usage in context

The imperfect with détruisaient (or détruisait forms for other subjects) conveys a past action without a definite end. For example: Ils détruisaient les fortifications pour empêcher l’ennemi d’avancer. Such constructions emphasize the gradual or habitual nature of past destruction.

Etymology and related forms

Détruire derives from Latin destruere. Related French forms include the present détruis, the past participle détruit, and other tenses built from the same root. The imperfect form is part of the broader system of imperfect conjugations for -uire verbs.

See also

détruire, imparfait (French imperfect), destruction (semantic topic).