construir Present Conjugation
construir — build
In the present tense, construir adds a 'y' before the ending in all forms except 'nosotros' and 'vosotros'.
construir Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use this to talk about current projects, a company's specialty, or general truths about how things are made.
Notes on construir in the Present
This is a 'y-inserting' verb. You add a 'y' after the 'u' in the 'boot' forms (yo, tú, él, ellos) to keep the pronunciation consistent.
Example Sentences
Yo construyo maquetas de barcos en mi tiempo libre.
I build model ships in my free time.
yo
Esa empresa construye edificios sostenibles.
That company builds sustainable buildings.
él/ella/usted
Ellos construyen un nuevo centro comercial cerca de aquí.
They are building a new mall near here.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'construo' or 'construes'.
Correct: construyo / construyes
Why: The verb requires a 'y' to separate the 'u' from the ending vowels in the present indicative.
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Related Tenses
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.
Negative Imperative
yo: no construyas
The negative imperative always uses the present subjunctive forms: no construyas, no construya.