Construir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of construir — "to build, to construct" in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for construir with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Ellos construyen casas nuevas en el barrio. — "They build new houses in the neighbourhood.".
Present tense conjugation table: construir
Every person of construir in the present tense. The gerund is construyendo and the past participle is construido.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construyo |
| tú | construyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | construye |
| nosotros/as | construimos |
| vosotros/as | construís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyen |
How the present indicative of construir is formed
The present indicative of construir is built from the stem constru- plus the present indicative endings for -ir verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ir ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | construyo |
| tú | -es | construyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | -e | construye |
| nosotros/as | -imos | construimos |
| vosotros/as | -ís | construís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -en | construyen |
construir is an -uir verb, and it has a spelling pattern rather than a stem change. In the present indicative, a y is inserted between the stem and the ending in four persons — yo, tú, él/ella and ellos/ellas — giving construyo, construyes, construye and construyen. But nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem with no y: construimos and construís. The y is not optional — without it the form is misspelled and mispronounced — and it never appears in nosotros or vosotros.
The gerund of construir is construyendo and the past participle is construido. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of construir
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and construir appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Building houses and structures
The present describes building work happening now or as a regular activity.
"Ellos construyen casas nuevas en el barrio." — "They build new houses in the neighbourhood."
Building a business or a career
Construir is used figuratively for things built over time — a company, a reputation, a life.
"Yo construyo mi empresa poco a poco." — "I build my company little by little."
Building sentences and arguments
In language learning, construir describes putting words together into sentences.
"Nosotros construimos frases en español cada día." — "We build sentences in Spanish every day."
General facts about construction
The present states what a company or a person does as a profession.
"Mi padre construye puentes en toda España." — "My father builds bridges all over Spain."
Plans in the present
The present is used for a building project that is already decided and under way.
"Tú construyes una casa en el campo." — "You are building a house in the countryside."
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Yo construyo una casa de madera. — "I build a wooden house."
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Yo construí una casa de madera. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add "used to" in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Tú construyes un muro en el jardín. — "You build a wall in the garden."
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Tú construías un muro en el jardín. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: El arquitecto construye un edificio moderno. — "The architect builds a modern building."
- Future — what will happen: El arquitecto construirá un edificio moderno. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: construir in the present tense
Seven sentences that show construir in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo construyo una casa de madera. — "I build a wooden house."
- Tú construyes un muro en el jardín. — "You build a wall in the garden."
- El arquitecto construye un edificio moderno. — "The architect builds a modern building."
- Nosotros construimos una escuela en el pueblo. — "We build a school in the village."
- Vosotros construís una cabaña en el bosque. — "You build a cabin in the forest."
- Los obreros construyen un puente sobre el río. — "The workers build a bridge over the river."
- Ella construye su futuro con esfuerzo. — "She builds her future with effort."
Common mistakes with construir in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with construir in the present tense. Each one shows 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 the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of construir. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of construir for tú?
- a) construye
- b) construyes
- c) construyo
- d) construyen
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ una casa de madera. — "I build a wooden house."
- a) construyo
- b) construyes
- c) construí
- d) construyen
3. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ mi empresa poco a poco. — "I build my company little by little."
- a) construimos
- b) construyo
- c) construye
- d) construí
4. Which is the correct present tense form of construir for nosotros?
- a) construyo
- b) construyen
- c) construimos
- d) construyes
5. Which sentence uses construir correctly in the present tense?
- a) El arquitecto construyes un edificio moderno.
- b) El arquitecto construye un edificio moderno.
- c) El arquitecto construyó un edificio moderno.
6. Which is the correct present tense form of construir for yo? Watch the spelling.
- a) construyo
- b) construyes
- c) construimos
- d) construo
7. Complete the sentence: Mi padre ______ puentes en toda España. — "My father builds bridges all over Spain."
- a) construyen
- b) construyo
- c) construyó
- d) construye
8. What is the gerund of construir?
- a) construyendo
- b) construyo
- c) construimos
- d) construido
Answer key
b) construyes — The tú form is construyes. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; construyo is yo, construye is él/ella and construyen is ellos/ellas.
a) construyo — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: construyo. The other options are the wrong person or the wrong tense.
b) construyo — The subject is yo, so the present form is construyo.
c) construimos — Nosotros takes construimos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ir verbs is -imos, attached to the stem constru-.
b) El arquitecto construye un edificio moderno. — El arquitecto construye un edificio moderno. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
a) construyo — construir is an -uir verb, so the yo form inserts a y: construyo. Without the y the form is wrong, and the nosotros form never takes the y.
d) construye — The subject is él/ella/Ud., so the present form is construye.
a) construyendo — The gerund is construyendo. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle construido.
Frequently asked questions
Is construir regular in the present tense?
Almost. construir is an -uir verb, so a y is inserted in yo, tú, él/ella and ellos/ellas — construyo, construyes, construye, construyen — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: construimos and construís.
What is the gerund and the past participle of construir?
The gerund is construyendo and the past participle is construido. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say "I to build, to construct" in Spanish?
Say construyo. For example: Yo construyo una casa de madera. — "I build a wooden house.".
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". The full conjugation of destruir is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of construir — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- construir examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.