Fiction
Build and destroy
Verbs that end in ‑uir, like construir, incluir, or destruir are special in the present. Add a y to all forms except nosotros / nosotras.
| subject | verb (construir) |
| yo | construyo |
| tú | construyes |
| él / ella / usted | construye |
| nosotros / nosotras | construimos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | construyen |
Ella construye una casa.
She is building a house.
¿Incluyes a tu perro en todas tus actividades?
Do you include your dog in all your activities?
Siempre mantengo mi palabra
You’ve seen how to use quedarse to say that you want to keep something, as in ¡Yo voy a quedarme con todo tu dinero!
Use mantener to say that you want to keep your word.
Yo siempre mantengo mi palabra.
I always keep my word.
If you want to talk about keeping something a certain way, you’ll need an adjective.
Ellos mantienen los ojos cerrados.
They're keeping their eyes closed.
Protip: mantener has the same endings as tener!