construxi

Construxi is the Latin perfect active form for the first person singular of the verb construere, meaning to build or to construct. In English translations, construxi is rendered as “I built” or “I have built.” It is a single inflected form used to indicate a completed past action.

Etymology and grammar: The verb construere is a third-conjugation verb formed from the prefix con- meaning together, and the root struere meaning to pile up or arrange. The principal parts are construere, construxi, constructum, with construxi representing the perfect stem used to form the perfect active indicative. The standard paradigm for the perfect includes construxi for the first person singular, construxisti for second person, construxit for third person, and so on (e.g., construximus, construxistis, construxerunt). The form construxi appears in contexts where the speaker describes a completed act of building.

Usage in Latin texts: Construxi appears in classical Latin prose and poetry to recount completed construction actions or to express results of past labor. It often takes a direct object in the accusative, such as construxi pontem (I built a bridge). The pluperfect and future perfect forms (e.g., construxeram, construxero) are used to discuss earlier past actions or anticipated future completion.

Cognates and modern relevance: The Latin root is the source of English words like construct and construction, which derive from construere through Late Latin and Old French. Construxi itself is a grammatical form rather than a modern standalone term, but it remains a key exemplar of Latin perfect tense usage.