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How to conjugate Construir in Spanish

construir to build, to construct Irregular Verb

At a glance: Construir (to build, to construct) is a widely used irregular verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: construyo, construyes, construye, construimos, construís, construyen. Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos add a y (construyo, construyes, construye, construyen); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (construyó), subjunctive and gerund (construyendo).

Past participle
construido built
Gerund
construyendo building
Similar
edificar

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Indicative tenses of Construir

Construir in the Indicative Present

The Indicative Present of construir is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “construyo”, meaning “I build”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruyoI build
Túconstruyesyou build
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruyes/he builds
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruimoswe build
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruísyou (plural) build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruyenthey build

How it’s built: Yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos add a y (construyo, construyes, construye, construyen); nosotros and vosotros are regular.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Indicative Preterite

The Indicative Preterite of construir is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “construí”, meaning “I built”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruíI built
Túconstruisteyou built
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruyós/he built
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruimoswe built
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruisteisyou (plural) built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruyeronthey built

How it’s built: Ella/Él and ellas/ellos change i to y (construyó, construyeron); the other forms are regular.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Indicative Imperfect

The Indicative Imperfect of construir is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “construía”, meaning “I used to build”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruíaI used to build
Túconstruíasyou used to build
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruías/he used to build
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruíamoswe used to build
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruíaisyou (plural) used to build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruíanthey used to build

How it’s built: Regular: stem constru- plus the -ir endings.

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Construir in the Indicative Present Continuous

The Indicative Present Continuous of construir is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy construyendo”, meaning “I am building”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yoestoy construyendoI am building
Túestás construyendoyou are building
Ella / Él / Ustedestá construyendos/he is building
Nosotras / Nosotrosestamos construyendowe are building
Vosotras / Vosotrosestáis construyendoyou (plural) are building
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesestán construyendothey are building

How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the irregular gerund construyendo.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Indicative Informal Future

The Indicative Informal Future of construir is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a construir”, meaning “I am going to build”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yovoy a construirI am going to build
Túvas a construiryou are going to build
Ella / Él / Ustedva a construirs/he is going to build
Nosotras / Nosotrosvamos a construirwe are going to build
Vosotras / Vosotrosvais a construiryou (plural) are going to build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesvan a construirthey are going to build

How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive construir.

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Construir in the Indicative Future

The Indicative Future of construir is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “construiré”, meaning “I will build”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruiréI will build
Túconstruirásyou will build
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruirás/he will build
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruiremoswe will build
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruiréisyou (plural) will build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruiránthey will build

How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive construir plus the future endings.

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Construir in the Indicative Conditional

The Indicative Conditional of construir is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “construiría”, meaning “I would build”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruiríaI would build
Túconstruiríasyou would build
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruirías/he would build
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruiríamoswe would build
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruiríaisyou (plural) would build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruiríanthey would build

How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive construir plus the conditional endings.

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Construir in the Indicative Present Perfect

The Indicative Present Perfect of construir is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “he construido”, meaning “I have built”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohe construidoI have built
Túhas construidoyou have built
Ella / Él / Ustedha construidos/he has built
Nosotras / Nosotroshemos construidowe have built
Vosotras / Vosotroshabéis construidoyou (plural) have built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshan construidothey have built

How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle construido.

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Construir in the Indicative Past Perfect

The Indicative Past Perfect of construir is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había construido”, meaning “I had built”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabía construidoI had built
Túhabías construidoyou had built
Ella / Él / Ustedhabía construidos/he had built
Nosotras / Nosotroshabíamos construidowe had built
Vosotras / Vosotroshabíais construidoyou (plural) had built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabían construidothey had built

How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle construido.

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Construir in the Indicative Future Perfect

The Indicative Future Perfect of construir is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré construido”, meaning “I will have built”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabré construidoI will have built
Túhabrás construidoyou will have built
Ella / Él / Ustedhabrá construidos/he will have built
Nosotras / Nosotroshabremos construidowe will have built
Vosotras / Vosotroshabréis construidoyou (plural) will have built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrán construidothey will have built

How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle construido.

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Construir in the Indicative Conditional Perfect

The Indicative Conditional Perfect of construir is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría construido”, meaning “I would have built”.

In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohabría construidoI would have built
Túhabrías construidoyou would have built
Ella / Él / Ustedhabría construidos/he would have built
Nosotras / Nosotroshabríamos construidowe would have built
Vosotras / Vosotroshabríais construidoyou (plural) would have built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshabrían construidothey would have built

How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle construido.

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Subjunctive tenses of Construir

Construir in the Subjunctive Present

The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “construya”, meaning “I build”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruyaI build
Túconstruyasyou build
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruyas/he builds
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruyamoswe build
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruyáisyou (plural) build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruyanthey build

How it’s built: Every form follows the yo present, construyo (construya, construyas, construya, construyamos, construyáis, construyan).

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Subjunctive Imperfect

The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “construyera”, meaning “I built”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruyeraI built
Túconstruyerasyou built
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruyeras/he built
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruyéramoswe built
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruyeraisyou (plural) built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruyeranthey built

How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, construyeron: drop -ron and add the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (construyéramos).

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Subjunctive Future

The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “construyere”, meaning “I will build”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
YoconstruyereI will build
Túconstruyeresyou will build
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruyeres/he will build
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruyéremoswe will build
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruyereisyou (plural) will build
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruyerenthey will build

How it’s built: Built on the irregular ellas/ellos preterite, construyeron: drop -ron and add the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (construyéremos).

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Subjunctive Present Perfect

The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “haya construido”, meaning “I have built”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohaya construidoI have built
Túhayas construidoyou have built
Ella / Él / Ustedhaya construidos/he has built
Nosotras / Nosotroshayamos construidowe have built
Vosotras / Vosotroshayáis construidoyou (plural) have built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshayan construidothey have built

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle construido.

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Construir in the Subjunctive Past Perfect

The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “hubiera construido”, meaning “I had built”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiera construidoI had built
Túhubieras construidoyou had built
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiera construidos/he had built
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéramos construidowe had built
Vosotras / Vosotroshubierais construidoyou (plural) had built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieran construidothey had built

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle construido.

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Construir in the Subjunctive Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “hubiere construido”, meaning “I will have built”.

In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yohubiere construidoI will have built
Túhubieres construidoyou will have built
Ella / Él / Ustedhubiere construidos/he will have built
Nosotras / Nosotroshubiéremos construidowe will have built
Vosotras / Vosotroshubiereis construidoyou (plural) will have built
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedeshubieren construidothey will have built

How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle construido.

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Imperative tenses of Construir

Construir in the Imperative Affirmative

The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “construya”, meaning “(to you formal) build!”.

In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
Túconstruye(to you) build!
Ella / Él / Ustedconstruya(to you formal) build!
Nosotras / Nosotrosconstruyamoslet's build!
Vosotras / Vosotrosconstruid(to you plural) build!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesconstruyan(to you plural formal) build!

How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (construye); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (construya, construyamos, construyan); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (construid).

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Construir in the Imperative Negative

The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no construya”, meaning “(to you formal) don't build!”.

In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".

PronounSpanishEnglish
Yo--
Túno construyas(to you) don't build!
Ella / Él / Ustedno construya(to you formal) don't build!
Nosotras / Nosotrosno construyamoslet's not build!
Vosotras / Vosotrosno construyáis(to you plural) don't build!
Ellas / Ellos / Ustedesno construyan(to you plural formal) don't build!

How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no construyas, no construya, no construyamos, no construyáis, no construyan.

Letters in red show where a form differs from the regular pattern.

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Frequently asked questions about Construir

Is construir a regular or irregular verb?

Construir is an irregular Spanish verb. In the present tense: yo, tú, ella/él and ellas/ellos add a y (construyo, construyes, construye, construyen); nosotros and vosotros are regular. It is also irregular in the preterite (construyó), subjunctive and gerund (construyendo).

How do you conjugate construir in the present tense (presente)?

In the present tense (presente), construir is conjugated as: yo construyo, tú construyes, él/ella/usted construye, nosotros construimos, vosotros construís, ellos/ellas/ustedes construyen. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.

How do you conjugate construir in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?

In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), construir is conjugated as: yo construí, tú construiste, él/ella/usted construyó, nosotros construimos, vosotros construisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes construyeron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.

How do you conjugate construir in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?

In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), construir is conjugated as: yo construía, tú construías, él/ella/usted construía, nosotros construíamos, vosotros construíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes construían. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.

How do you conjugate construir in the future tense (futuro simple)?

In the future tense (futuro simple), construir is conjugated as: yo construiré, tú construirás, él/ella/usted construirá, nosotros construiremos, vosotros construiréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes construirán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.

How do you conjugate construir in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?

In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), construir is conjugated as: yo construya, tú construyas, él/ella/usted construya, nosotros construyamos, vosotros construyáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes construyan. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.


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