Edificar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
edificar means "to build, to erect" in English, and this page shows it in everyday use: real example sentences in several tenses, two short dialogues, the mistakes learners actually make, and a quiz to test yourself. You will see edificar with a house in the village, a temple on the hill, a school in the neighbourhood and a wall around the garden — the situations where Spanish speakers really use it. A good first sentence to learn is: Cada día, yo edifico una casa en el pueblo. — "Every day, I build a house in the village." Read the examples aloud, notice which tense each one uses, and then try the dialogues and the quiz.
edificar in everyday sentences
Twelve sentences with edificar, grouped by situation. Each one shows the verb in a different tense or person, with its English translation and a note on when to use that form.
Everyday use
- Cada día, yo edifico una casa en el pueblo. — "Every day, I build a house in the village." The present tense fits a habit here.
- Ayer, yo edifiqué un templo en la colina. — "Yesterday, I built a temple on the hill." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, yo edificaba una escuela en el barrio. — "In the past, I used to build a school in the neighbourhood." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, nosotros edificaremos un muro alrededor del jardín. — "Tomorrow, we will build a wall around the garden." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Si pudieras, tú edificarías una casa en el pueblo. — "If you could, you would build a house in the village." The conditional fits something that would happen.
- Yo he edificado un templo en la colina. — "I have built a temple on the hill." The present perfect fits an action with present relevance.
More situations
- Normalmente, él edifica una escuela en el barrio. — "Normally, he/she builds a school in the neighbourhood." The present tense fits a general truth here.
- Ayer, él edificó un muro alrededor del jardín. — "Yesterday, he/she built a wall around the garden." The preterite fits one finished action.
- Antes, nosotros edificábamos una casa en el pueblo. — "In the past, we used to build a house in the village." The imperfect fits a repeated action in the past.
- Mañana, yo edificaré un templo en la colina. — "Tomorrow, I will build a temple on the hill." The future tense fits a plan for tomorrow.
- Espero que él edifique una escuela en el barrio. — "I hope that he/she builds a school in the neighbourhood." The present subjunctive follows espero que.
- ¡Edifica un muro alrededor del jardín! — "Build a wall around the garden!" The imperative fits a direct order or request.
The verb in context
Two short dialogues using edificar naturally. Notice how the verb changes person and tense as the conversation moves, and how the complements stay the same kind of situation: a house in the village, a temple on the hill, a school in the neighbourhood and a wall around the garden.
Dialogue 1: talking about a house in the village
María: ¿Tú edificas una casa en el pueblo? — "Do you build a house in the village?" Carlos: Sí, yo edifico una casa en el pueblo. — "I build a house in the village." María: ¿Y ayer? — "And yesterday?" Carlos: Ayer, yo edifiqué un templo en la colina. — "Yesterday, I built a temple on the hill." María: Mañana, nosotros edificaremos una escuela en el barrio. — "Tomorrow, we will build a school in the neighbourhood." Carlos: Si pudiera, yo edificaría un muro alrededor del jardín. — "If I could, I would build a wall around the garden." María: Antes, yo edificaba un templo en la colina. — "In the past, I used to build a temple on the hill." Carlos: Yo he edificado una casa en el pueblo. — "I have built a house in the village." María: ¡Edifica una escuela en el barrio! — "Build a school in the neighbourhood!"
In this dialogue edificar appears in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the future, the conditional and the present perfect. That is the point: one verb, many tenses, and the complement tells you which situation you are in. Try the same dialogue with your own complements.
Dialogue 2: talking about a school in the neighbourhood
María: Él edifica una escuela en el barrio. — "he/she builds a school in the neighbourhood." Carlos: ¿De verdad? ¿Él edifica una escuela en el barrio todos los días? — "Really? Does he/she builds a school in the neighbourhood every day?" María: Sí, y ellos edifican un muro alrededor del jardín. — "they build a wall around the garden." Carlos: Ayer, ellos edificaron una escuela en el barrio. — "Yesterday, they built a school in the neighbourhood." María: Espero que él edifique un muro alrededor del jardín. — "I hope that he/she builds a wall around the garden." Carlos: Mañana, él edificará una escuela en el barrio. — "Tomorrow, he/she will build a school in the neighbourhood." María: Antes, nosotros edificábamos un muro alrededor del jardín. — "In the past, we used to build a wall around the garden." Carlos: Nosotros edificamos una casa en el pueblo también. — "we build a house in the village too."
This dialogue shows edificar in the third person and in the plural, which is where learners most often hesitate. Read it aloud with a partner, swapping the names and the complements for your own life, and the forms will start to feel automatic.
Common mistakes with edificar
The errors learners actually make with edificar in everyday use, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why it is wrong.
Mistake 1: Adding a reflexive pronoun that does not belong
- Wrong: Yo me edifico una casa en el pueblo.
- Right: Yo edifico una casa en el pueblo.
- Why: edificar is not reflexive, so there is no pronoun to add: Yo edifico una casa en el pueblo. is the correct sentence.
Mistake 2: Using the infinitive as a conjugated form
- Wrong: Yo edificar una casa en el pueblo.
- Right: Yo edifico una casa en el pueblo.
- Why: The infinitive edificar is the dictionary form, not a conjugated form. In a sentence with yo you need the present-tense form edifico.
Mistake 3: Using the present tense for yesterday
- Wrong: Ayer, yo edifico un templo en la colina.
- Right: Ayer, yo edifiqué un templo en la colina.
- Why: Ayer means yesterday, so the action is finished and needs the preterite: Ayer, yo edifiqué un templo en la colina. — "Yesterday, I built a temple on the hill."
Mistake 4: Mixing up the gerund and the participle
- Wrong: Estoy edificado una escuela en el barrio.
- Right: Estoy edificando una escuela en el barrio.
- Why: After estar you need the gerund edificando for the progressive. The participle edificado goes with haber in the perfect tenses (he edificado), never after estar.
Mistake 5: Using the él form for nosotros
- Wrong: Nosotros edifica una casa en el pueblo.
- Right: Nosotros edificamos una casa en el pueblo.
- Why: The person and the ending must match: nosotros takes edificamos, while edifica belongs to él and ella.
Quiz: edificar in use
Test yourself with ten questions on edificar. The answers are explained, so read them even when you get a question right.
1. What is the yo form of edificar in the present tense?
- (a) edifica
- (b) edificamos
- (c) edifico
- (d) edificas
Answer: (c) edifico. The yo form is edifico.
2. What is the tú form of edificar in the present tense?
- (a) edificamos
- (b) edificas
- (c) edifico
- (d) edifica
Answer: (b) edificas. The tú form is edificas.
3. What is the él/ella form of edificar in the present tense?
- (a) edifica
- (b) edifico
- (c) edificas
- (d) edificamos
Answer: (a) edifica. The él/ella form is edifica.
4. Complete the sentence: Cada día, yo ___ una casa en el pueblo.
- (a) edificas
- (b) edifica
- (c) edificamos
- (d) edifico
Answer: (d) edifico. The sentence needs the yo form edifico.
5. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ___ un templo en la colina.
- (a) edificó
- (b) edificamos
- (c) edifiqué
- (d) edificaste
Answer: (c) edifiqué. Ayer needs the preterite, and the yo form is edifiqué.
6. Complete the sentence: Antes, yo ___ una escuela en el barrio.
- (a) edificabais
- (b) edificaba
- (c) edificabas
- (d) edificábamos
Answer: (b) edificaba. Antes needs the imperfect, and the yo form is edificaba.
7. Complete the sentence: Mañana, yo ___ un muro alrededor del jardín.
- (a) edificaré
- (b) edificarás
- (c) edificará
- (d) edificaremos
Answer: (a) edificaré. Mañana needs the future, and the yo form is edificaré.
8. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una casa en el pueblo.
- (a) he edificado
- (b) has edificado
- (c) ha edificado
- (d) hemos edificado
Answer: (a) he edificado. The present perfect uses haber plus the participle: he edificado.
9. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una escuela en el barrio.
- (a) edifiquemos
- (b) edifiquéis
- (c) edifique
- (d) edifiques
Answer: (c) edifique. After espero que Spanish needs the subjunctive, and the él form is edifique.
10. What does edificar mean in English?
- (a) to kneel
- (b) to fall behind
- (c) to build, to erect
- (d) to draw near
Answer: (c) to build, to erect. edificar means "to build, to erect" in English.
Frequently asked questions about edificar
What does edificar mean?
edificar means "to build, to erect" in English. Use it when you talk about a house in the village, a temple on the hill, a school in the neighbourhood and a wall around the garden — for example: Cada día, yo edifico una casa en el pueblo. — "Every day, I build a house in the village."
Is there a reflexive form of edificar?
No. edificar is not reflexive, so it is used without a pronoun: Cada día, yo edifico una casa en el pueblo. — "Every day, I build a house in the village."
What is the most common mistake with edificar?
The spelling change. Watch the spelling: the c becomes qu before e, so the yo preterite is edifiqué and the subjunctive forms start with qu, for example edifique. Practise the yo form and the subjunctive forms until they feel automatic, and check them against the table on the conjugation page.
How can I practise edificar?
Take the quiz above, then make your own sentences: change the person in each example, change the complement to something from your own life, and say the sentence aloud. The verb quiz and the verb translator on this site give you more practice with the same forms.