construístes

Construístes is a verbal form that appears in some regional or historical varieties of Iberian Romance languages and is sometimes described as representing the second-person singular past tense of the verb construir, meaning “you built.” It is not a standard form in modern, mainstream Spanish or Portuguese.

In standard Spanish, the corresponding preterite form is usually construiste, while in European Portuguese a common variant for tú (informal you) is construíste. The spelling construístes, with an acute accent on the í and the ending -stes, is not widespread in contemporary grammars and is typically encountered only in dialectal writings, archaic texts, or orthographies aiming to reflect a particular pronunciation or historical development.

Linguistic descriptions sometimes portray construístes as a historical or dialectal artifact rather than a living part of the current language. Its appearance can be linked to attempts to preserve older phonological patterns or to align with neighboring Romance languages that employ similar second-person singular endings in past tense forms. Because of its irregular and nonstandard status, construístes is generally treated as an example of regional variation rather than a productive form in modern usage.

In practice, readers encountering construístes or construístes should note that such forms are not expected in standard, formal writing and are best understood as relics or markers of specific linguistic landscapes. For everyday communication, the standard preterite forms of construir remain construiste in Spanish and construíste in Portuguese, depending on the variety.