Construir Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

construir means "to build, to construct" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Construir means "to build" or "to construct", and it covers houses, bridges, roads, companies and sentences — anything that is put together piece by piece. It is an -ir verb with a spelling pattern learners must notice: in the present, the forms carry a y between the stem and the ending (construyo, construyes, construye, construyen), while nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem (construimos, construís). That y is not decoration; without it the pronunciation and the spelling both break. The verb is common in news, in work and in everyday talk about homes and cities. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by meaning, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of construir; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the construir present tense page.

construir in everyday use: examples with translations

Building houses and cities

  1. Ellos construyen casas nuevas en el barrio. — "They build new houses in the neighbourhood."
  2. Mi padre construye puentes en toda España. — "My father builds bridges all over Spain."
  3. El año pasado ellos construyeron un hospital nuevo. — "Last year they built a new hospital."
  4. Mi abuelo construía casas de piedra. — "My grandfather used to build stone houses."

Building a business or a life

  1. Yo construyo mi empresa poco a poco. — "I build my company little by little."
  2. Nosotros construimos frases en español cada día. — "We build sentences in Spanish every day."
  3. Nosotros construiremos una casa en el campo. — "We will build a house in the countryside."
  4. Ellos han construido tres colegios este año. — "They have built three schools this year."

Building things step by step

  1. Tú construyes una casa en el campo. — "You are building a house in the countryside."
  2. Vosotros construís una cabaña en el bosque. — "You build a cabin in the forest."
  3. Yo construiría una casa más grande si tuviera dinero. — "I would build a bigger house if I had money."
  4. Ella construye su futuro con esfuerzo. — "She builds her future with effort."

construir in conversation

Two short dialogues that use construir the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

An architect shows a client the plans.

  • Arquitecto: Nosotros construimos una escuela en el pueblo. — "We build a school in the village."
  • Cliente: ¿Tú construyes también la piscina? — "Do you build the swimming pool too?"
  • Arquitecto: Yo construyo la piscina y el gimnasio. — "I build the pool and the gym."
  • Cliente: ¿Cuándo construirán ellos el edificio? — "When will they build the building?"

A father and son talk about the family business.

  • Hijo: Mi padre construye puentes en toda España. — "My father builds bridges all over Spain."
  • Padre: Yo construyo mi empresa poco a poco. — "I build my company little by little."
  • Hijo: ¿Tú construyes casas también? — "Do you build houses too?"
  • Padre: Nosotros construimos casas y puentes. — "We build houses and bridges."

Common mistakes with construir

The errors learners actually make with construir, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo construo una casa (applying plain -ir endings without the y).

✓ Correct: Yo construyo una casa de madera.

Verbs in -uir insert a y in the present for yo, tú, él and ellos: construyo, not construo.

✗ *Ellos construen casas nuevas.

✓ Correct: Ellos construyen casas nuevas en el barrio.

The ellos form is construyen, with the y. Construen is not a Spanish form.

✗ *Nosotros construyemos una escuela (adding the y where it does not belong).

✓ Correct: Nosotros construimos una escuela en el pueblo.

Nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: construimos, construís. The y appears only in yo, tú, él and ellos.

✗ *Yo construyo a una casa (using the personal a with a thing).

✓ Correct: Yo construyo una casa de madera.

The personal a is only for people. You build a house directly: construir una casa.

Quiz: construir in use

Ten questions on construir — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ casas nuevas en el barrio. — "They build new houses in the neighbourhood."

  • a) construyeron
  • b) construyes
  • c) construyo
  • d) construyen

2. Complete the sentence: El año pasado ellos ______ un hospital nuevo. — "Last year they built a new hospital."

  • a) construyen
  • b) construí
  • c) construyeron
  • d) construiste

3. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ______ frases en español cada día. — "We build sentences in Spanish every day."

  • a) construimos
  • b) construimos
  • c) construyes
  • d) construyo

4. Complete the sentence: Tú ______ una casa en el campo. — "You are building a house in the countryside."

  • a) construyes
  • b) construyo
  • c) construiste
  • d) construye

5. Which is the correct present tense form of construir for yo?

  • a) construyes
  • b) construimos
  • c) construyo
  • d) construye

6. Which is the correct present tense form of construir for tú?

  • a) construyes
  • b) construyo
  • c) construye
  • d) construimos

7. Which is the correct present tense form of construir for ellos/ellas/Uds.?

  • a) construyes
  • b) construyo
  • c) construye
  • d) construyen

8. Which sentence uses construir correctly?

  • a) Nosotros construye una escuela en el pueblo.
  • b) Nosotros construimos una escuela en el pueblo.
  • c) Nosotros construíamos una escuela en el pueblo.

9. What is the past participle of construir?

  • a) construyo
  • b) construyendo
  • c) construido
  • d) construyó

10. What does construir mean in English?

  • a) to build, to construct
  • b) to go
  • c) to have
  • d) to destroy

Answer key

  1. d) construyen — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the present: construyen.

  2. c) construyeron — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the preterite: construyeron.

  3. a) construimos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form in the present: construimos.

  4. a) construyes — The sentence needs the tú form in the present: construyes.

  5. c) construyo — The present tense form for yo is construyo.

  6. a) construyes — The present tense form for tú is construyes.

  7. d) construyen — The present tense form for ellos/ellas/Uds. is construyen.

  8. b) Nosotros construimos una escuela en el pueblo. — Nosotros construimos una escuela en el pueblo. is correct. The other sentences use the wrong person, the wrong tense, or the wrong pattern for this verb.

  9. c) construido — The past participle is construido. You need it for every perfect tense with haber: he construido, has construido, ha construido.

  10. a) to build, to construct — construir means "to build, to construct".

Frequently asked questions

How do I use construir in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as construir una casa and construir un puente. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between construir and destruir?

construir means "to build, to construct", while destruir means "to destroy". They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use construir when you mean "to build, to construct" and destruir when you mean "to destroy".

Which tense do I need most with construir?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use construir most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is construir formal or informal?

construir is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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