Inklingo

How to Say "to construct" in Spanish

The Spanish word forto constructis edificarB1 level.

English → SpanishB1
verbB1formal
large-scale architectural projects
A construction worker stacking red bricks with a trowel to build a wall.

Examples

Los antiguos romanos decidieron edificar un gran templo en esta colina.

The ancient Romans decided to build a great temple on this hill.

Es costoso edificar en terrenos tan inclinados.

It is expensive to build on such steep terrain.

El arquitecto fue contratado para edificar el nuevo hospital central.

The architect was hired to construct the new central hospital.

The 'C' to 'QU' Swap

To keep the 'k' sound, the 'c' changes to 'qu' whenever the ending starts with an 'e' (like in the first-person past tense: 'edifiqué').

Formal Tone

While 'construir' is used for anything from LEGOs to skyscrapers, 'edificar' is almost always reserved for real buildings and architecture.

Spelling Slip-up

Mistake:Yo edificé la casa.

Correction: Yo edifiqué la casa. (In Spanish, 'cé' would sound like 'say', so we use 'qué' to keep the 'k' sound).

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