How to say “build” in 31 languages
Every one of these is a word that turns up in ordinary speech, not a dictionary curiosity — the number beside it is where it ranks in that language.
It is commonest in English, where make is the 113th most used word.
- Afrikaans gebou to build #436
- Albanian ndërtuar to build #924
- Arabic بنى to build, to construct, to raise #1,707
- Armenian կառուցել to build, construct #1,142
- Basque eraiki to build, to erect #519
- Catalan construir to build; to construct #1,257
- Chinese 建造 to build; to construct #980
- Danish bygge to build, construct #1,389
- Dutch bouwen to build, to construct #1,373
- English make To build, construct, produce, or originate #113
- Estonian ehitada to build #1,368
- Finnish rakentaa to build, construct, make #2,279
- French construire to build #2,152
- Galician construír to build, to construct #1,139
- German bauen to build, to construct #1,473
- Greek έφτιαξα to make, build, create, construct #1,692
- Hebrew בנה to build, to construct, to raise, to erect #1,703
- Icelandic byggja to build #1,057
- Italian costruire to build, construct #2,159
- Korean 덩치 frame, build #1,783
- Macedonian става build, stature, figure #1,869
- Malay bina to build #1,165
- Norwegian bygge to build #1,173
- Portuguese construir to build #1,581
- Romanian dura to build #1,152
- Slovak stavať to build, to construct #2,041
- Spanish construir to build #2,162
- Swedish bygga to build; to construct #1,144
- Telugu నిర్మించారు to build #1,310
- Turkish yapmak to make; to build, construct, fashion; to… #226
- Vietnamese xây to build #958
Knowing the word is the easy half.
Using it with someone who speaks the language is the half that sticks.