Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Construiría una barrera de madera para proteger las flores del viento fuerte. - I would build a wooden barrier to protect the flowers from the strong wind.

Construiría is the conditional form (“would build”), used for hypothetical or tentative actions.
Construiré is the simple future (“I will build”), used for definite plans or predictions.

How do you form the conditional tense of regular -ir verbs like construir?

Add the conditional endings to the infinitive:
• yo construiría
• tú construirías
• él/ella construiría
• nosotros construiríamos
• vosotros construiríais
• ellos/ellas construirían

What nuance does the conditional convey in this sentence?

It makes the action hypothetical or polite. Here it suggests a possible plan or a tentative idea: “I would build a wooden barrier…” rather than a firm commitment.

Why is there no subject pronoun yo before construiría?

Spanish often omits subject pronouns because verb endings already indicate person. You can say (Yo) construiría, but it’s redundant unless you want to emphasize yo.

Why does construiría have an accent on the í?

In the conditional endings -ía, the stress falls on the i, so it must carry an acute accent. This differentiates it from other forms and maintains correct pronunciation.

What is the function of para before proteger?

Para + infinitive expresses purpose (equivalent to in order to or to in English). So para proteger means to protect.

Could you use por instead of para here?

No. Por generally indicates cause, means, duration, etc. To express purpose you need para. Using por proteger would be incorrect in this context.

Why is the infinitive proteger used instead of a subjunctive clause like para que proteja?

Both are grammatically correct for purpose:
• para proteger las flores (para + infinitive) – more concise and common.
• para que proteja las flores (para que + subjunctive) – slightly more formal or explicit.

Why is it una barrera de madera and not una barrera de mader?

In Spanish, de + noun indicates material. So de madera means made of wood. There’s no word mader; the noun is madera.

Is barrera the same as cerca or cerco?

They overlap but differ subtly:
• barrera – barrier, often implying protection or an obstacle.
• cerca – fence, common for enclosing yards.
• cerco – fence, slightly more formal.

Why does de el viento contract to del viento?

Spanish always contracts de + el into del. It’s a fixed orthographic rule.

Can I say fuerte viento instead of viento fuerte?

Yes, but with nuance:
• viento fuerte (noun + adjective) is the standard descriptive order.
• fuerte viento (adjective + noun) feels more poetic or emphatic.