Some English verbs ending in -uct have French counterparts ending in -uire. The spelling does not change by a simple rule, and the meanings do not always line up exactly. Learn each pair with its use.

Verbs that fit the pattern

This practical list includes common verbs and a few rare ones. The pairs are in alphabetical order by the English verb.

• Conduct – conduire. Depending on context, this means to drive, lead, or guide. For leading a meeting, mener is also common.
  • Elle conduit le bus scolaire. – “She drives the school bus.”
  • Le directeur conduit la réunion. – “The director leads the meeting.”
  • Il conduit les visiteurs jusqu’à la sortie. – “He guides the visitors to the exit.”
• Construct – construire. This means to build or put something together. Bâtir is another option for building.
  • Ils construisent un pont près du village. – “They are building a bridge near the village.”
  • L’équipe a construit une maquette en bois. – “The team built a wooden model.”
  • Elle construit son argument à partir des faits. – “She builds her argument from the facts.”
• Deconstruct – déconstruire. This means to take something apart, or to examine the parts or ideas that make it up.
  • Les ouvriers déconstruisent l’ancien mur. – “The workers are taking down the old wall.”
  • Le livre déconstruit plusieurs idées reçues. – “The book deconstructs several common assumptions.”
• Deduct – déduire. This means to take an amount away from a total. Déduire can also mean to draw a conclusion.
  • La banque déduit les frais du montant total. – “The bank deducts the fees from the total amount.”
  • Il faut déduire cette somme du prix. – “This amount must be deducted from the price.”
  • Elle a déduit la réponse des indices. – “She deduced the answer from the clues.”
• Destruct – détruire. English destruct is rare; destroy is the usual English verb. French détruire is the usual word for destroying something.
  • La bombe a détruit le pont. – “The bomb destroyed the bridge.”
  • L’incendie a détruit plusieurs maisons. – “The fire destroyed several houses.”
• Instruct – instruire. This usually means to teach or educate. To tell someone what to do, French more often uses donner des instructions or demander.
  • Cette école instruit des élèves de tous âges. – “This school teaches students of all ages.”
  • Le juge instruit l’affaire. – “The judge is investigating the case.”
  • Elle lui a donné des instructions pour fermer la boutique. – “She instructed him to close the shop.”
• Reconduct – reconduire. This rare English verb can mean to conduct or escort someone back. French reconduire is also used for renewing a contract or term.
  • Le garde l’a reconduit à sa cellule. – “The guard escorted him back to his cell.”
  • Le contrat a été reconduit pour un an. – “The contract was renewed for one year.”
• Reconstruct – reconstruire. This means to build again or piece something together again.
  • La ville reconstruit le vieux pont. – “The town is rebuilding the old bridge.”
  • Les enquêteurs ont reconstruit la suite des événements. – “The investigators reconstructed the sequence of events.”
• Self-destruct – s’autodétruire. This is a compound form that follows the same pattern through destruct and détruire.
  • Le système s’autodétruira en cas de panne. – “The system will self-destruct if it fails.”

Limits of the pattern

Not every English verb ending in -uct has a French counterpart ending in -uire. For example, abduct is usually enlever or kidnapper in French, and obstruct is usually obstruer. These are exceptions, not members of the matching list.

The French partner may also cover only some meanings of the English verb. For example, instruire fits “teach,” but French often uses a different phrase for “instruct someone to do something.”

Summary

• The practical list includes conduct, construct, deconstruct, deduct, destruct, instruct, reconduct, reconstruct, and self-destruct.
• Their French counterparts end in -uire, but the English and French meanings may differ.
• The pattern is useful for these pairs, but it does not work for every English -uct verb.