construir Negative Imperative Conjugation
construir — build
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no construyas, no construya.
construir Negative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Negative Imperative
Use this to tell someone not to build something in a certain spot or in a certain way.
Notes on construir in the Negative Imperative
All forms are identical to the present subjunctive and include the 'y'.
Example Sentences
No construyas el muro todavía.
Don't build the wall yet.
tú
No construyan castillos en el aire.
Don't build castles in the air (don't daydream).
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'no construye' for a command.
Correct: no construyas
Why: Negative commands must use the subjunctive, not the indicative.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'construir' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: construyo
In the present tense, construir adds a 'y' before the ending in all forms except 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'.
Preterite
yo: construí
The preterite of construir is irregular in the third person, swapping 'i' for 'y' (construyó, construyeron).
Imperfect
yo: construía
The imperfect of construir is regular, following the standard -ía endings for -ir verbs.
Future
yo: construiré
The future tense of construir is completely regular, using the full infinitive as the stem.
Conditional
yo: construiría
The conditional of construir is regular, adding -ía endings to the infinitive.
Present Subjunctive
yo: construya
The present subjunctive of construir uses the 'y' from the 'yo' form: construya, construyas, etc.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: construyera
The imperfect subjunctive is based on the preterite 'ellos' form: construyeran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: construye
The imperative uses 'construye' for 'tú' and 'construya/n' for formal commands.