Castigar Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb castigar means to punish, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know 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. Like every Spanish verb, castigar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say castigo a mi hijo sin postre, and in the preterite you say castigué al equipo con una multa. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: castigar
  • English: to punish
  • Verb type: spelling-changing verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: castigando
  • Past participle: castigado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + castigado)
  • Spelling change: the stem spelling changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same — see the notes under each tense.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for castigar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Spelling change: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is castigué and the subjunctive is castigue — never castigé.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for castigar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo castigo
tú castigas
él/ella/Ud. castiga
nosotros/as castigamos
vosotros/as castigáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. castigan

Preterite

Person Form
yo castigué
tú castigaste
él/ella/Ud. castigó
nosotros/as castigamos
vosotros/as castigasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. castigaron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo castigaba
tú castigabas
él/ella/Ud. castigaba
nosotros/as castigábamos
vosotros/as castigabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. castigaban

Future

Person Form
yo castigaré
tú castigarás
él/ella/Ud. castigará
nosotros/as castigaremos
vosotros/as castigaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. castigarán

Conditional

Person Form
yo castigaría
tú castigarías
él/ella/Ud. castigaría
nosotros/as castigaríamos
vosotros/as castigaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. castigarían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he castigado
tú has castigado
él/ella/Ud. ha castigado
nosotros/as hemos castigado
vosotros/as habéis castigado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han castigado

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había castigado
tú habías castigado
él/ella/Ud. había castigado
nosotros/as habíamos castigado
vosotros/as habíais castigado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían castigado

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré castigado
tú habrás castigado
él/ella/Ud. habrá castigado
nosotros/as habremos castigado
vosotros/as habréis castigado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán castigado

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría castigado
tú habrías castigado
él/ella/Ud. habría castigado
nosotros/as habríamos castigado
vosotros/as habríais castigado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían castigado

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo castigue
tú castigues
él/ella/Ud. castigue
nosotros/as castiguemos
vosotros/as castiguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. castiguen

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo castigara
tú castigaras
él/ella/Ud. castigara
nosotros/as castigáramos
vosotros/as castigarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. castigaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú castiga
él/ella/Ud. castigue
nosotros/as castiguemos
vosotros/as castigad
ellos/ellas/Uds. castiguen

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú castigues
él/ella/Ud. castigue
nosotros/as castiguemos
vosotros/as castiguéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. castiguen

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund castigando with estar for the progressive: estoy castigando
Past participle castigado with haber for the perfect tenses: he castigado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Castigo a mi hijo sin postre. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. Note the spelling change here: g becomes gu before e, so the preterite is castigué, never castigé. For castigar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, castigué al alumno con más deberes. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, castigaba al equipo con una multa. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, castigaré a los culpables con prisión. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Castigaría a mi hijo sin postre si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he castigado al alumno con más deberes. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había castigado al equipo con una multa antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré castigado a los culpables con prisión. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría castigado a mi hijo sin postre con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él castigue al alumno con más deberes. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él castigara al equipo con una multa, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡castiga a los culpables con prisión! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For castigar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No castigues a mi hijo sin postre. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with castigar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Castigo a mi hijo sin postre. — I punish my son with no dessert.
  2. Castiga al alumno con más deberes. — He/she punishes the student with more homework.
  3. Ayer, castigué al equipo con una multa. — Yesterday, I punished the team with a fine.
  4. Antes, nosotros castigábamos a los culpables con prisión. — Before, we used to punish the guilty with prison.
  5. Mañana, tú castigarás a mi hijo sin postre. — Tomorrow, you will punish my son with no dessert.
  6. Yo castigaría al alumno con más deberes si tuviera más tiempo. — I would punish the student with more homework if I had more time.
  7. Él ha castigado al equipo con una multa. — He has punished the team with a fine.
  8. Espero que él castigue a los culpables con prisión. — I hope he punishes the guilty with prison.
  9. Yo ya había castigado a mi hijo sin postre antes de salir. — I had already punished my son with no dessert before leaving.
  10. Ellos castigaban al alumno con más deberes cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to punish the student with more homework when they were young.

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. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi hijo sin postre. (present tense) A. castigo B. castigas C. castiga D. castigamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ al alumno con más deberes. (preterite) A. castigué B. castigaste C. castigaron D. castigó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ al equipo con una multa. (imperfect) A. castigabas B. castigaban C. castigábamos D. castigaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a los culpables con prisión. (future) A. castigaremos B. castigarás C. castigaré D. castigará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a mi hijo sin postre si pudiera. (conditional) A. castigaría B. castigarías C. castigarían D. castigo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ al alumno con más deberes. (present subjunctive) A. castigues B. castiguemos C. castigo D. castigue

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ al equipo con una multa, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. castigáramos B. castigo C. castigara D. castigaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a los culpables con prisión. (present perfect) A. han castigado B. hemos castigado C. he castigado D. has castigado

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ a mi hijo sin postre! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. castiga B. castigue C. castiguemos D. castigad

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

Answer key

  1. castigo — The first-person present of castigar is castigo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. castigó — The third-person preterite of castigar is castigó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. castigábamos — The nosotros imperfect of castigar is castigábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. castigarás — The second-person future of castigar is castigarás.
  5. castigaría — The first-person conditional of castigar is castigaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. castigue — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of castigar is castigue.
  7. castigara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of castigar is castigara.
  8. hemos castigado — The nosotros present perfect of castigar is hemos castigado: hemos + castigado.
  9. castiga — The affirmative tú imperative of castigar is castiga.
  10. castigando — The gerund of castigar is castigando: estoy castigando. The participle castigado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does castigar mean in English?

Castigar means to punish. It is used in everyday situations such as Castigo a mi hijo sin postre. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is castigar regular or irregular?

Castigar is a spelling-changing verb: the endings are regular, but the spelling of the stem changes in some forms so the pronunciation stays the same. For example, the preterite first person is castigué. The other tenses follow the regular pattern for -ar verbs.

What is the difference between castigar and sancionar?

Castigar means to punish, while sancionar means to punish or sanction officially. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use castigar when you mean to punish, as in Castigo a mi hijo sin postre, and use sancionar for to punish or sanction officially. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I punish” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo castigué al alumno con más deberes. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo castigaba al equipo con una multa. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he castigado al alumno con más deberes.

How do I practise castigar?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the castigar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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