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"to build" in seven languages

Meaningto build

Spanish

construir

/konstɾuˈiɾ/

learned

French

construire

/kɔ̃stʁɥiʁ/

learned

Bâtir, of Germanic origin, is a common synonym for buildings.

Italian

costruire

/kostruˈire/

learned

Portuguese

construir

/kõstɾuˈih/

learned

Romanian

construi

/konstruˈi/

borrowed · French construire

Catalan

construir

/kunstɾuˈi/

learned

English

build

/bɪld/

native English · Old English byldan

English → Italianto buildcostruireNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: construct, construction, structure, destroy.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CONSTRUERE‘to pile up, to build (STRUERE 'to heap')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

A learned verb in all three; Italian simplified the ns to s, as it does in costare and mostrare. Destroy is the same root with the opposite prefix: 'un-pile'.

English relatives: construct, construction, structure, destroy

Learn it

Practice the Core verbs deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esEstán construyendo un puente nuevo.
  • frIls construisent un nouveau pont.
  • itStanno costruendo un ponte nuovo.
  • ptEstão construindo uma ponte nova.
  • roConstruiesc un pod nou.
  • caEstan construint un pont nou.
  • enThey are building a new bridge.

More in Core verbs

All Core verbs words