Construir Conjugation in Spanish
construir means "to build, to construct" in English, and it is one of the Spanish verbs you will use again and again in everyday conversation. It is used for talking about building — houses, bridges, companies, relationships and anything made from parts, which makes it a practical verb to learn early and to use confidently. This page gives you the complete conjugation of construir in every tense and mood — present, preterite, imperfect, future, conditional, the four perfect tenses, both subjunctive tenses and the imperative — with all six persons, plus the gerund and the past participle. Every form below comes from VerbFlow's verified conjugation tables, so you can trust the accents and the irregular forms. Construir is a irregular (y-insertion in the present and gerund) -ir verb verb, and the notes under each tense explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To hear it in a real sentence: Yo construyo una casa en el campo. — "I am building a house in the countryside.". Work through the tables, read the notes, then test yourself with the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: construir
- English: to build, to construct
- Verb type: Irregular (y-insertion in the present and gerund) -ir verb
- Gerund: construyendo
- Past participle: construido
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all compound tenses use haber + construido)
Full conjugation table
Every tense of construir with all six persons. The gerund is construyendo and the past participle is construido.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construyo |
| tú | construyes |
| él/ella/Ud. | construye |
| nosotros/as | construimos |
| vosotros/as | construís |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyen |
Preterite (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construí |
| tú | construiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | construyó |
| nosotros/as | construimos |
| vosotros/as | construisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyeron |
Imperfect (past)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construía |
| tú | construías |
| él/ella/Ud. | construía |
| nosotros/as | construíamos |
| vosotros/as | construíais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construían |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construiré |
| tú | construirás |
| él/ella/Ud. | construirá |
| nosotros/as | construiremos |
| vosotros/as | construiréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construirán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construiría |
| tú | construirías |
| él/ella/Ud. | construiría |
| nosotros/as | construiríamos |
| vosotros/as | construiríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construirían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he construido |
| tú | has construido |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha construido |
| nosotros/as | hemos construido |
| vosotros/as | habéis construido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han construido |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había construido |
| tú | habías construido |
| él/ella/Ud. | había construido |
| nosotros/as | habíamos construido |
| vosotros/as | habíais construido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían construido |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré construido |
| tú | habrás construido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá construido |
| nosotros/as | habremos construido |
| vosotros/as | habréis construido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán construido |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría construido |
| tú | habrías construido |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría construido |
| nosotros/as | habríamos construido |
| vosotros/as | habríais construido |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían construido |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construya |
| tú | construyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | construya |
| nosotros/as | construyamos |
| vosotros/as | construyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyan |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | construyera |
| tú | construyeras |
| él/ella/Ud. | construyera |
| nosotros/as | construyéramos |
| vosotros/as | construyerais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyeran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | construye |
| él/ella/Ud. | construya |
| nosotros/as | construyamos |
| vosotros/as | construid |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyan |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | construyas |
| él/ella/Ud. | construya |
| nosotros/as | construyamos |
| vosotros/as | construyáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | construyan |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Gerund | construyendo |
| Past participle | construido |
How to use each tense
Each tense below explains when to use it with construir, with one example sentence. The example forms are taken from the tables above.
Present indicative
The present tense talks about what happens now, habits, routines and general truths. It is the first tense every learner needs, because it covers daily life: what you do, what you like, where you live. For most verbs the present is also the base for the present subjunctive, so learning it well pays off twice.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo construyo una casa.
Preterite (past)
The preterite talks about finished actions in the past — things that started and ended at a specific moment. Use it for events, for what happened yesterday, last year, or at a particular time. It answers the question "what happened?" and it is the tense of stories told as a sequence of events.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Ayer yo construí una casa.
Imperfect (past)
The imperfect talks about the past as background: habits, repeated actions, descriptions, and things that were in progress when something else happened. Use it for "used to", for setting a scene, and for age, time and weather in the past. It answers "what was going on?" rather than "what happened?".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: En aquella época, yo construía una casa.
Future
The future tense talks about what will happen: plans, predictions and promises. In everyday speech Spanish speakers often use "ir a + infinitive" instead, but the future tense is essential for formal writing, for promises, and for guessing about the present ("¿Dónde estará?").
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Mañana yo construiré una casa.
Conditional
The conditional talks about what would happen: hypothetical situations, polite requests, and advice. It pairs with the imperfect subjunctive in "if" sentences ("Si pudiera, lo haría"). It is also the polite way to ask for things and to soften opinions.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo construiría una casa si pudiera.
Present perfect
The present perfect (haber + past participle) talks about the recent past and about experience: what you have done, what has just happened, what you have never tried. It connects the past to the present moment, so it often appears with "hoy", "esta semana", "ya" and "todavía no".
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya he construido una casa.
Pluperfect
The pluperfect (había + past participle) talks about the past before the past: what had already happened when something else happened. Use it to order two past events — the pluperfect one comes first in time. It appears constantly in stories and explanations.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo ya había construido una casa antes.
Future perfect
The future perfect (habré + past participle) talks about something that will already be finished by a future moment: "Para mañana ya habré terminado". It is also used to guess about the past: "¿Dónde habrá ido?". It is less common in speech but regular in writing.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Para mañana yo ya habré construido una casa.
Conditional perfect
The conditional perfect (habría + past participle) talks about what would have happened: the past of the conditional. It appears in "if" sentences about a past that did not happen ("Si hubiera sabido, habría venido") and in polite regrets and reproaches.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Yo habría construido una casa si hubiera podido.
Present subjunctive
The present subjunctive is the mood of wishes, doubts, emotions and influence: what you want, hope, doubt or demand. It appears after "quiero que", "espero que", "es posible que", "ojalá" and after verbs of emotion and doubt. It never stands alone — a trigger in the main clause calls for it.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Espero que él construya una casa.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive is the past of the subjunctive: it follows past-tense triggers ("Quería que vinieras") and it is the tense of "if" clauses about unlikely or impossible situations ("Si tuviera dinero, viajaría"). The -ra forms shown here are the standard ones; -se forms exist too but -ra is far more common in speech.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: Si él construyera una casa, sería perfecto.
Imperative (affirmative)
Affirmative commands tell someone to do something: "¡Ven aquí!", "¡Siéntate!". The tú and vosotros forms are the ones you will use most, and they are also the ones that break the regular pattern most often — the tú affirmative command comes from the él/ella present form, not from the infinitive.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: ¡Construye una casa!
Imperative (negative)
Negative commands tell someone not to do something: "¡No hables!", "¡No te vayas!". Unlike affirmative commands, negative commands always use the subjunctive forms, for every person. If you know the present subjunctive, you already know the negative imperative.
This tense is regular for this verb — the endings follow the standard pattern for its verb class.
Example: No construyas una casa.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with construir, covering different tenses and persons. Read the Spanish first, then check the English.
- Yo construyo una casa en el campo. — "I am building a house in the countryside."
- ¿Tú construyes una casa nueva este año? — "Are you building a new house this year?"
- Ayer construyó una casa para su familia. — "Yesterday he built a house for his family."
- Ellos construían una casa cuando vivían en el pueblo. — "They were building a house when they lived in the village."
- Mañana construiré una casa más grande. — "Tomorrow I will build a bigger house."
- Yo construiría una casa si tuviera dinero. — "I would build a house if I had money."
- Ya he construido una casa en la playa. — "I have already built a house on the beach."
- Espero que construya una casa pronto. — "I hope he builds a house soon."
Common mistakes
The errors learners actually make with construir — and how to fix them.
- Wrong: *Yo construo una casa. → Right: Yo construyo una casa.. Construir inserts a y: construyo, construyes, construye — never construo. The y appears in the present, the gerund (construyendo) and the preterite third person (construyó, construyeron).
- Wrong: *Estoy construendo una casa. → Right: Estoy construyendo una casa.. The gerund is construyendo, with y: constru-yendo. The same y appears in destruir (destruyendo) and in oír (oyendo).
- Wrong: *Ellos construyeron una casa — learners sometimes write construieron without the y. → Right: Ellos construyeron una casa.. The preterite third person is construyeron, with y. The first and second persons are regular: construí, construiste, construimos.
- Wrong: *Espero que tú construas una casa. → Right: Espero que tú construyas una casa.. The subjunctive also keeps the y: construya, construyas, construya. After espero que, use the subjunctive, not the indicative construyes.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on construir. Answers are at the end, with a short explanation for each.
What is the yo form of construir in the present indicative?
- a) construyes
- b) construimos
- c) construyo
- d) construye
What is the él/ella/Ud. form of construir in the preterite (past)?
- a) construimos
- b) construyó
- c) construiste
- d) construí
What is the nosotros/as form of construir in the imperfect (past)?
- a) construíamos
- b) construías
- c) construía
- d) construía
What is the tú form of construir in the future?
- a) construiremos
- b) construirás
- c) construiré
- d) construirá
What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of construir in the conditional?
- a) construirían
- b) construiría
- c) construirías
- d) construiría
What is the yo form of construir in the present subjunctive?
- a) construyas
- b) construyamos
- c) construya
- d) construya
What is the gerund of construir?
- a) construir
- b) construido
- c) construye
- d) construyendo
What is the past participle of construir?
- a) he construido
- b) construyo
- c) construyendo
- d) construido
What does construir mean in English?
- a) to lend
- b) to rest
- c) to build, to construct
- d) to amuse, to entertain
The form construí belongs to which tense?
- a) Imperfect
- b) Future
- c) Preterite
- d) Present
Answer key
- construyo — The yo form in the present indicative is construyo — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- construyó — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite (past) is construyó — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- construíamos — The nosotros/as form in the imperfect (past) is construíamos — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- construirás — The tú form in the future is construirás — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- construirían — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form in the conditional is construirían — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- construya — The yo form in the present subjunctive is construya — the other options are the same tense but different persons.
- construyendo — The gerund is construyendo — it is the form used with estar for the progressive (estoy construyendo). The past participle is construido.
- construido — The past participle is construido — it is the form used after haber in the perfect tenses (he construido).
- to build, to construct — construir means "to build, to construct".
- Preterite — construí is the yo form of the preterite of construir — a finished past action. The imperfect yo form is construía.
Frequently asked questions
Is construir regular?
No. Construir is irregular because it inserts a y in many forms: construyo, construyes, construye, construyen, and the gerund construyendo. The nosotros and vosotros forms — construimos, construís — are regular, and so are the future and the conditional.
Why does construir have a y in construyo?
The stem ends in the vowel i, and Spanish inserts a y to separate two vowels in these forms: constru-y-o. The same pattern appears in destruir (destruyo), oír (oyo → oigo is different, but oyendo) and huir. It is a spelling pattern, not a random exception.
What is the gerund of construir?
Construyendo. Use it with estar for the progressive: Estoy construyendo una casa. The y is part of the gerund and must not be dropped.
What is the difference between construir and hacer?
Hacer means to do or to make in general, while construir means specifically to build something with structure — a house, a bridge, a company. You make (haces) a cake, but you build (construyes) a house.
Related pages
- Construir in the present tense — the present tense of construir in depth, with its own examples and quiz.
- Construir examples and quiz — more everyday sentences with construir and a second quiz.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub: every verb, every tense guide and every tool in one place.
- Complete list of Spanish irregular verbs — where construir sits among the irregular verbs, grouped by pattern.
- Crear conjugation — another verb in the same family as construir.
- Destruir conjugation — another verb in the same family as construir.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise construir with this tool.
- Gerund Finder — practise construir with this tool.
- Present tense guide — how the present tense works for regular and irregular verbs.