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FRENCH VERB

construire

to build

  • #238 most used
  • Irregular -re verb
  • Past participle: construit
  • Present participle: construisant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I build
  2. tu you build
  3. il, elle, on he/she builds
  4. nous we build
  5. vous you build
  6. ils, elles they build

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I built
  2. tu you built
  3. il, elle, on he/she built
  4. nous we built
  5. vous you built
  6. ils, elles they built

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to build
  2. tu you used to build
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to build
  4. nous we used to build
  5. vous you used to build
  6. ils, elles they used to build

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will build
  2. tu you will build
  3. il, elle, on he/she will build
  4. nous we will build
  5. vous you will build
  6. ils, elles they will build

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would build
  2. tu you would build
  3. il, elle, on he/she would build
  4. nous we would build
  5. vous you would build
  6. ils, elles they would build

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I build
  2. tu (that) you build
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she build
  4. nous (that) we build
  5. vous (that) you build
  6. ils, elles (that) they build

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu build!
  2. nous build! (let’s)
  3. vous build! (plural, or formal)

How to use construire

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Ils construisent un immeuble en face de chez moi.

    They're building a block of flats opposite my place.

  2. Past

    Mon grand-père a construit cette maison lui-même.

    My grandfather built this house himself.

  3. Imperfect

    Les enfants construisaient un château de sable.

    The children were building a sandcastle.

  4. Future

    La ville construira une piscine l'année prochaine.

    The town will build a swimming pool next year.

  5. Conditional

    On construirait une terrasse si on avait le budget.

    We'd build a terrace if we had the budget.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut qu'on construise une étagère pour tous ces livres.

    We need to build a shelf for all these books.

  7. Imperative

    Construis la tour avec moi, s'il te plaît !

    Build the tower with me, please!

Good to know

  • Faire construire une maison is to have a house built.

Where you hear construire

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 3

  • On construit un nouveau pont. They're building a new bridge.
  • Elle a été construite il y a plus de mille ans. It was built more than a thousand years ago.
  • On va construire un nouveau musée. They're going to build a new museum.
19
Mont-Saint-Michel

Beginner Level 3 · construite · Elle a été construite. · il a été construit

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -re verb.