Spanish Phrase
Estamos construyendo un robot en clase.
Meaning
The sentence means 'We are building a robot in class.' It describes a collaborative, hands‑on activity that is taking place right now during a school lesson.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to tell someone about an ongoing project or activity happening inside a classroom, especially in a STEM or technology class.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Estamosconstruyendounrobotenclase
Estar + gerundio
The present progressive in Spanish is formed with the verb estar + the gerund (construyendo). It expresses an action happening right now.
Conjugation of estar
Estar is irregular in the present tense: yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella está, nosotros estamos, vosotros estáis, ellos están.
Gerundio of construir
To form the gerund of regular -ir verbs, drop the -ir and add -iendo: construir → construyendo.
Indefinite article 'un'
Use 'un' before masculine singular nouns when the noun is not previously identified.
Preposition 'en'
En indicates location or setting: 'en clase' = 'in class'.
Noun 'clase'
Clase can refer to a classroom, a lesson, or a school period.
🗨In Conversation
¿Qué están haciendo en la clase de hoy?
What are you doing in class today?
Estamos construyendo un robot en clase.
We are building a robot in class.
✕Common Mistakes
Es construyendo un robot en clase.
Use 'estamos' (first‑person plural) instead of 'es' (third‑person singular) because the subject is 'nosotros'.
Estamos haciendo un robot en clase.
While 'haciendo' can mean 'doing', the verb 'construir' is more precise for building a robot.
Estamos construyendo el robot en clase.
If the robot has already been mentioned, use the definite article 'el' instead of the indefinite 'un'.
↔Alternatives
Estamos armando un robot en la clase.
We are assembling a robot in class.
Hoy estamos fabricando un robot en clase.
Today we are making a robot in class.
En la clase, estamos creando un robot.
In class, we are creating a robot.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking schools, project‑based learning ("aprendizaje basado en proyectos") is common, especially in subjects like robotics, engineering, and technology. Using the present progressive shows that the activity is happening right now, which is typical when reporting on a live classroom experiment.