The preterite of construir is used to express when someone built something during a specific period in the past. For example, “They built the house last year” – “Construyeron la casa el año pasado.”
This verb follows the -uir spelling-changing pattern in the preterite. A ‘y’ is inserted before the ending in the third person singular (construyó) and plural (construyeron) forms.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Construir (to build) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | construí |
| Tú | construiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | construyó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | construimos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | construisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | construyeron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Construir (to build) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Construir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of construir describes completed actions of building or constructing.
To build/construct: Used for completing construction projects, for example Construí mi propia casa (I built my own house), or Construyeron un puente nuevo (They built a new bridge).
To create/establish: Refers to creating systems or relationships, for example Construyeron una nueva empresa (They built a new company).
Examples
Examples of Construir in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Construí una casa en la playa. (I built a house on the beach.)
Los obreros construyeron el puente en seis meses. (The workers built the bridge in six months.)
¿Construiste ese modelo tú mismo? (Did you build that model yourself?)
Construimos un fuerte con almohadas. (We built a fort with pillows.)
La empresa construyó un nuevo centro comercial. (The company built a new shopping center.)
Los niños construyeron un castillo de arena. (The children built a sandcastle.)
Construiste una carrera impresionante. (You built an impressive career.)
El arquitecto construyó un edificio moderno. (The architect built a modern building.)
Construimos una nueva vida juntos. (We built a new life together.)
Los voluntarios construyeron casas para los necesitados. (The volunteers built houses for those in need.)
Construí mi propio negocio desde cero. (I built my own business from scratch.)
La ciudad construyó un nuevo parque. (The city built a new park.)
Construyeron una escuela en el barrio. (They built a school in the neighborhood.)
Construimos un jardín en la azotea. (We built a garden on the roof.)
El equipo construyó un prototipo exitoso. (The team built a successful prototype.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Construir (to build) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo construí | I built |
| Tú construiste | You built |
| Él / Ella / Usted construyó | He / She / You (formal) built |
| Nosotros / Nosotras construimos | We built |
| Vosotros / Vosotras construisteis | You all built |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes construyeron | They / You all (formal) built |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.