Castigar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

castigar means “to punish” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Castigar means to punish, and it is used for punishing a child, a student, a team or a criminal: you punish without dessert, with extra homework, with a fine, with prison. It is a regular verb with a spelling change, and it is common in school, sport and law. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of castigar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the castigar present tense page.

castigar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with castigar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo castigo a mi hijo sin postre. — I punish my son with no dessert.
  2. Él/Ella castiga al alumno con más deberes. — He punishes the student with more homework.
  3. Nosotros/as castigamos al equipo con una multa. — We punish the team with a fine.
  4. Ellos/as castigan a los culpables con prisión. — They punish the guilty with prison.

In the past

Four sentences with castigar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo castigué al equipo con una multa. — Yesterday, I punished the team with a fine.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as castigábamos a los culpables con prisión. — Before, We used to punish the guilty with prison.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella castigó a mi hijo sin postre. — Yesterday, He punished my son with no dessert.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as castigaban al alumno con más deberes. — As children, They used to punish the student with more homework.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with castigar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú castigarás a mi hijo sin postre. — Tomorrow, You will punish my son with no dessert.
  2. Yo castigaría al alumno con más deberes. — I would punish the student with more homework.
  3. Espero que él castigue al equipo con una multa. — I hope he punishes the team with a fine.
  4. Él/Ella ha castigado a los culpables con prisión. — He has punished the guilty with prison.

castigar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú castigas a mi hijo sin postre mañana? — Are you going to punish my son with no dessert tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo castigo a mi hijo sin postre todos los días. — Yes, I punish my son with no dessert every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana castigarás al alumno con más deberes? — And tomorrow, will you punish the student with more homework? Luis: Claro, mañana castigaré al alumno con más deberes sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will punish the student with more homework without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo castigaré al equipo con una multa también. — Perfect. I will punish the team with a fine too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer castigué al equipo con una multa. — Yesterday, I punished the team with a fine. Ana: ¿Y antes castigabas a los culpables con prisión? — And before, did you use to punish the guilty with prison? Luis: Sí, antes castigaba a los culpables con prisión todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to punish the guilty with prison every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos castigaron a mi hijo sin postre? — And did your brothers punished my son with no dessert? Luis: Sí, ellos castigaron a mi hijo sin postre por la tarde. — Yes, they punished my son with no dessert in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo castiga a mi hijo sin postre. — Right: Yo castigo a mi hijo sin postre. — The person matters: castiga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is castigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer, yo castigé al equipo con una multa. — Right: Ayer, yo castigué al equipo con una multa. — Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is castigué, never castigé.
  3. Wrong: Treating castigar and sancionar as identical in every context. — Right: Castigar means to punish, while sancionar means to punish or sanction officially. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: castigar fits sentences such as Castigo a mi hijo sin postre, while sancionar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy castigado al alumno con más deberes. — Right: Yo he castigado al alumno con más deberes. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he castigado, has castigado, ha castigado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo castigué al equipo con una multa todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo castigaba al equipo con una multa todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (castigaba), not the preterite. The preterite (castigué) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on castigar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ a los culpables con prisión. (present tense) A. castigan B. castigo C. castigas D. castiga

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ a mi hijo sin postre. (preterite tense) A. castigué B. castigaste C. castigó D. castigamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ al alumno con más deberes. (imperfect tense) A. castigábamos B. castigabais C. castigabas D. castigaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ al equipo con una multa. (future tense) A. castigaremos B. castigará C. castigaré D. castigarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ a los culpables con prisión. (conditional tense) A. castigaríamos B. castigaría C. castigarías D. castigaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ a mi hijo sin postre. (present-perfect tense) A. has castigado B. ha castigado C. hemos castigado D. he castigado

  7. What does castigar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to punish D. to punish or sanction officially

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo castigué al equipo con una multa. B. Yo castiga a mi hijo sin postre. C. Yo castigo a mi hijo sin postre. D. Él/Ella castiga al alumno con más deberes.

  9. Which is the gerund of castigar, used with estar for the progressive? A. castigando B. castigado C. castigo D. castigué

  10. Which is the past participle of castigar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. castigando B. castigo C. castigué D. castigado

Answer key

  1. castigan — The correct form here is castigan.
  2. castigamos — The correct form here is castigamos.
  3. castigabas — The correct form here is castigabas.
  4. castigará — The correct form here is castigará.
  5. castigaríamos — The correct form here is castigaríamos.
  6. he castigado — The correct form here is he castigado.
  7. to punish — Castigar means to punish. Sancionar means to punish or sanction officially, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo castiga a mi hijo sin postre. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo castigo a mi hijo sin postre.. The person matters: castiga is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is castigo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. castigando — The gerund of castigar is castigando: estoy castigando.
  10. castigado — The past participle of castigar is castigado: he castigado, has castigado, ha castigado.

Frequently asked questions

What does castigar mean?

Castigar means to punish. Castigar means to punish, and it is used for punishing a child, a student, a team or a criminal: you punish without dessert, with extra homework, with a fine, with prison. It is a regular verb with a spelling change, and it is common in school, sport and law.

When do people use castigar most?

People use castigar most in everyday situations such as Yo castigo a mi hijo sin postre. and Ayer, Yo castigué al equipo con una multa.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between castigar and sancionar?

Castigar means to punish, while sancionar means to punish or sanction officially. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of castigar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of castigar as your reference, the castigar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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