Construir means “to build, construct” in both concrete and carefully chosen abstract senses. The Central present uses construeix- in the stressed cells (construeixo, construeixes, construeix, construeixen) but construïm, construïu in the plural cells stressed on the ending. Past, future, conditional, gerund, and participle reject the -eix- extension.
The spelling alternation does not signal a change of meaning. It keeps the same lexical stem recognizable while Catalan marks hiatus: construïa, construït. The verb patterns exactly like produir and conduir, so the principal parts construeixo – construïm – construí – construiré – construeixi – construís – construït are more useful than memorizing isolated cells.
The spelling logic is covered fully under the diaeresis, and the limited present-tense extension belongs to the incoative -ir pattern.
Nonfinite forms
| Form | Catalan | English guide |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | construir | to build; to construct |
| Perfect infinitive | haver construït | to have built |
| Gerund | construint | building; constructing |
| Perfect gerund | havent construït | having built |
| Participle | construït; construïda, construïts, construïdes | built; constructed |
The gerund is construint, never construeixent. The participle stays invariable after haver: han construït dues escoles. It agrees in a passive or adjective phrase: dues escoles construïdes amb fusta. This distinction matters because English “built” has one visible form in both environments.
Construir is not defective: all six persons are available throughout the productive indicative and subjunctive paradigms, and the usual five addressee forms occur in the imperative.
Indicative: simple and periphrastic tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | construeixo | construeixes | construeix | construïm | construïu | construeixen |
| Imperfect | construïa | construïes | construïa | construíem | construíeu | construïen |
| Periphrastic past | vaig construir | vas construir | va construir | vam construir | vau construir | van construir |
| Simple past | construí | construïres | construí | construírem | construíreu | construïren |
| Future | construiré | construiràs | construirà | construirem | construireu | construiran |
| Conditional | construiria | construiries | construiria | construiríem | construiríeu | construirien |
The “boot” distribution belongs only to the present: singular and third-person plural have -eix-, but construïm/construïu do not. The periphrastic past is normal in conversation. The simple past is strongly represented in (formal/literary) prose and remains spoken in some varieties; first- and third-person singular are both construí.
Aquesta empresa construeix habitatges de baix consum energètic.
This company builds low-energy homes.
Nosaltres construïm els prototips al taller de la universitat.
We build the prototypes in the university workshop.
Els avis van construir la casa amb les seves pròpies mans.
The grandparents built the house with their own hands.
L'any vinent construiran una passarel·la sobre el riu.
Next year they will build a footbridge over the river.
Indicative: compound tenses
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present perfect | he construït | has construït | ha construït | hem construït | heu construït | han construït |
| Pluperfect | havia construït | havies construït | havia construït | havíem construït | havíeu construït | havien construït |
| Past anterior | haguí construït | hagueres construït | hagué construït | haguérem construït | haguéreu construït | hagueren construït |
| Future perfect | hauré construït | hauràs construït | haurà construït | haurem construït | haureu construït | hauran construït |
| Conditional perfect | hauria construït | hauries construït | hauria construït | hauríem construït | hauríeu construït | haurien construït |
The synthetic past anterior is mainly (formal/literary). The periphrastic anterior is vaig haver construït, vas haver construït, va haver construït, vam haver construït, vau haver construït, van haver construït. Object clitics precede the auxiliary: L'han construït en sis mesos. The participle does not agree merely because a plural object appears after it.
Han construït un dipòsit nou per aprofitar l'aigua de pluja.
They have built a new tank to make use of rainwater.
Sense el finançament europeu, no hauríem construït el centre de recerca.
Without European funding, we wouldn't have built the research center.
Subjunctive: simple and compound forms
| Tense | jo | tu | ell / ella / vostè | nosaltres | vosaltres | ells / elles / vostès |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | construeixi | construeixis | construeixi | construïm | construïu | construeixin |
| Imperfect | construís | construïssis | construís | construíssim | construíssiu | construïssin |
| Present perfect | hagi construït | hagis construït | hagi construït | hàgim construït | hàgiu construït | hagin construït |
| Pluperfect | hagués construït | haguessis construït | hagués construït | haguéssim construït | haguéssiu construït | haguessin construït |
The periphrastic subjunctive past is vagi construir, vagis construir, vagi construir, vàgim construir, vàgiu construir, vagin construir; its anterior adds haver construït. It has restricted (regional/formal) use. Accent and diaeresis alternate systematically in construís/construïssis/construíssim.
L'ajuntament exigeix que l'empresa construeixi una vorera més ampla.
The council requires the company to build a wider pavement.
Volien que construíssim el relat a partir de testimonis directes.
They wanted us to build the account from direct testimony.
Imperative
| Addressee | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | construeix | no construeixis |
| vostè | construeixi | no construeixi |
| nosaltres | construïm | no construïm |
| vosaltres | construïu | no construïu |
| vostès | construeixin | no construeixin |
Affirmative commands take attached pronouns (construeix-lo, construïu-ne dos); negative commands place them before the verb (no el construeixis). The attached form does not gain a Spanish-style written accent.
Construeix-lo sobre una base estable i comprova'n el nivell.
Build it on a stable base and check its level.
Materials, sites, and abstract structures
The thing built is a direct object: construir una casa, un pont, un model. Amb introduces the material or means when it is conceived as a resource (construït amb fusta reciclada); de classifies composition (una cabana de pedra). A site can take a or en according to ordinary location choices, while sobre introduces a surface, foundation, or conceptual basis: construir sobre roca; construir un argument sobre una premissa falsa.
Van construir l'escola amb fusta local sobre els fonaments de l'edifici antic.
They built the school with local timber on the foundations of the old building.
Abstract construir is natural when the metaphor has real structure or gradual assembly: construir una identitat, un relat, una teoria, una relació de confiança. English uses “build” even more broadly. For everyday combinations, Catalan often prefers crear una empresa, formar un equip, desenvolupar musculatura, or guanyar confiança. These are collocational choices, not grammatical bans.
La mediadora va ajudar les dues parts a construir una relació de confiança.
The mediator helped both sides build a relationship of trust.
With se, distinguish three structures. Es construeixen pisos is passive se and agrees with plural pisos. S'han construït una casa can contain a benefactive/reflexive clitic meaning “they built themselves a house”; the direct object remains una casa. A genuinely pronominal interpretation is not part of the ordinary dictionary meaning: buildings do not “build themselves” without a passive or middle context.
En aquest solar es construiran quaranta habitatges protegits.
Forty units of social housing will be built on this plot.
The lexical family includes construcció, constructor/constructora, constructiu/constructiva, and reconstruir. The same conjugational pattern carries into reconstruir: reconstrueixo, reconstruïm, reconstruït. For unrealistic plans, the established idiom is fer castells en l'aire; it uses fer, not a special sense of construir.
(Regional: Valencian) forms include construïsc, variants construeixes/construïxes and construeix/construïx, and present subjunctive construïsca.... They are standard within the Valencian system and should not be mixed randomly with Central construeixo/construeixi.
Common Mistakes
❌ Nosaltres construeixim cases modulars.
Incorrect—the first-person plural has no -eix- and needs a diaeresis.
✅ Nosaltres construïm cases modulars.
We build modular houses.
❌ Encara estan construeixent el nou ambulatori.
Incorrect—the gerund is construint, without the present extension.
✅ Encara estan construint el nou ambulatori.
They're still building the new health center.
❌ Han construit una rampa a l'entrada.
Incorrect—the participle construït requires a diaeresis.
✅ Han construït una rampa a l'entrada.
They have built a ramp at the entrance.
❌ Es construirà trenta habitatges en aquest solar.
Incorrect—the passive construction agrees with the plural subject.
✅ Es construiran trenta habitatges en aquest solar.
Thirty homes will be built on this plot.
❌ L'equip es construeix una teoria a partir de les dades.
Incorrect if no benefactive meaning is intended—ordinary construir is transitive, not freely pronominal.
✅ L'equip construeix una teoria a partir de les dades.
The team constructs a theory from the data.
Key Takeaways
Central Catalan alternates construeixo with construïm and keeps -eix- out of all non-present forms. Preserve the hiatus spellings: construïa and construït take a diaeresis, while construís takes an acute accent. The verb takes a direct object, while materials, sites, and foundations use ordinary prepositional phrases. Analyze se as passive or benefactive before assuming a lexical construir-se.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Incoative -ir Verbs in the PresentA1 — Learn where Central Catalan inserts -eix- in verbs such as servir and how Valencian -isc/-ix forms correspond.
- Present-Tense Vowel AlternationsA2 — Recognize the stress-conditioned and lexical vowel alternations in Catalan presents such as surto/sortim, cullo/collim, and treu/traiem.
- Forming the GerundA2 — Form regular and irregular Catalan gerunds, pronounce their stress correctly, and attach weak pronouns without adding person endings.
- Forming Past ParticiplesA2 — Build Catalan participles in -at, -ut, and -it, spell hiatus forms correctly, and learn the major irregular families.
- Inherently Pronominal VerbsA2 — Recognize Catalan verbs whose weak reflexive pronoun is part of the verb itself, and use them with the right person, complement, and placement.
- The Diaeresis: ï and üB1 — Use Catalan ï and ü to mark hiatus or a pronounced u, and recognize the systematic contexts where the mark is omitted.