Present
Presente · now, habits and facts
- yo I build
- tú you build
- usted, él, ella he/she builds
- nosotros we build
- vosotros Spain you all build
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they build
SPANISH VERB
construir
to build
- #149 most used
- Regular -ir verb
- Gerund: construyendo
- Past participle: construido
Conjugation
Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.
Past
Pretérito indefinido · finished actions
- yo I built
- tú you built
- usted, él, ella he/she built
- nosotros we built
- vosotros Spain you all built
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they built
Imperfect
Pretérito imperfecto · “used to” and “was …ing”
- yo I used to build
- tú you used to build
- usted, él, ella he/she used to build
- nosotros we used to build
- vosotros Spain you all used to build
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they used to build
Future
Futuro · plans and promises; in speech, “voy a hablar” is just as common
- yo I will build
- tú you will build
- usted, él, ella he/she will build
- nosotros we will build
- vosotros Spain you all will build
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they will build
Conditional
Condicional · “would”
- yo I would build
- tú you would build
- usted, él, ella he/she would build
- nosotros we would build
- vosotros Spain you all would build
- ustedes, ellos, ellas they would build
Present subjunctive
Presente de subjuntivo · wishes, doubts, “que …”
- yo (that) I build
- tú (that) you build
- usted, él, ella (that) he/she build
- nosotros (that) we build
- vosotros Spain (that) you all build
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (that) they build
Past subjunctive
Imperfecto de subjuntivo · “if I were”, “si …”
- yo (if) I built
- tú (if) you built
- usted, él, ella (if) he/she built
- nosotros (if) we built
- vosotros Spain (if) you all built
- ustedes, ellos, ellas (if) they built
Imperative
Imperativo · requests and orders; a negative one uses the subjunctive (no hables)
- tú build!
- usted build! (formal)
- nosotros build! (let’s)
- vosotros Spain build! (all of you)
- ustedes build! (all of you)
How to use construir
One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.
-
Present
Mi hermano construye casas en Mérida.
My brother builds houses in Mérida.
-
Past
Los mayas construyeron esta pirámide hace siglos.
The Maya built this pyramid centuries ago.
-
Imperfect
Mi papá construía muebles en su taller.
My dad used to build furniture in his workshop.
-
Future
Construirán un hospital nuevo cerca de aquí.
They'll build a new hospital near here.
-
Conditional
Yo construiría la cocina más grande.
I'd build the kitchen bigger.
-
Present subjunctive
Quieren que construyamos una barda más alta.
They want us to build a higher wall.
-
Past subjunctive
Si construyeran un puente, llegaríamos en diez minutos.
If they built a bridge, we'd get there in ten minutes.
-
Imperative
¡Construye la torre más alta que puedas!
Build the tallest tower you can!
Where you hear construir
The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.
Spanish · Beginner Level 2
- Construyen una casa en la esquina. They're building a house on the corner.
- Construyeron las pirámides con piedras. They built the pyramids with stones.
- Vamos a construir el altar juntos. We're going to build the altar together.
Spanish · Beginner Level 3
- Aquí construyen una escuela. They're building a school here.
- Los mayas construyeron la pirámide. The Maya built the pyramid.
- Voy a construir una casa. I'm going to build a house.
17
Two Thousand Years Ago
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13
Beginner Level 2 · construyeron
The Pyramid
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24
Beginner Level 3 · se construyó
If I Were You
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13
Intermediate Level 1 · construiría un techo contra la lluvia
Monte Alban
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13
Intermediate Level 2 · fue construido por
It Was Written in Oaxaca
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21
Advanced Level 1 · fue construido
If We Won
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25
Advanced Level 1 · volvería a construir
Built Inside the Mosque
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Advanced Level 1 · fue construida
Verbs like this one
The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -ir verb.