Sancionar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

sancionar means “to sanction” 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. Sancionar means to sanction, and it has two uses: to punish someone with a fine or a penalty, and to approve a law officially. In everyday Spanish the punishment sense is the common one, for example when a referee sanctions a player or a country faces sanctions. 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 sancionar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the sancionar present tense page.

sancionar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “I sanction the player with a yellow card.”
  2. Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “He sanctions the company for breaking the rule.”
  3. Nosotros sancionamos al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “We sanction the driver for speeding.”
  4. Ellos sancionan al país con medidas económicas. — “They sanction the country with economic measures.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo sancioné a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “Yesterday, I sanctioned the company for breaking the rule.”
  2. Antes, nosotros sancionábamos al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “Before, we used to sanction the driver for speeding.”
  3. Él sancionó al país con medidas económicas. — “He sanctioned the country with economic measures.”
  4. Yo ya había sancionado al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla antes de salir. — “I had already sanctioned the player with a yellow card before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú sancionarás al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “Tomorrow, you will sanction the player with a yellow card.”
  2. Yo sancionaría a la empresa por incumplir la norma si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would sanction the company for breaking the rule if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha sancionado al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “He has sanctioned the driver for speeding.”
  4. Espero que él sancione al país con medidas económicas. — “I hope he sanctions the country with economic measures.”

sancionar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use sancionar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “I sanction the player with a yellow card.”
  • Bea: Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “He sanctions the company for breaking the rule.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo sancioné a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “Yesterday, I sanctioned the company for breaking the rule.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú sancionarás al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “Tomorrow, you will sanction the player with a yellow card.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros sancionamos al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “We sanction the driver for speeding.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros sancionábamos al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “Before, we used to sanction the driver for speeding.”
  • Luis: Yo sancionaría a la empresa por incumplir la norma si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would sanction the company for breaking the rule if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él sancione al país con medidas económicas. — “I hope he sanctions the country with economic measures.”

A short scene with sancionar

A short scene shows how sancionar works across the day. In the morning: Sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. In the afternoon: Sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, sancioné al conductor por exceso de velocidad. And tomorrow: Mañana, sancionaré al país con medidas económicas. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how sancionar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with sancionar

The errors learners actually make with sancionar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo sanciona al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla.

✓ Correct: Yo sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla.

The person matters: sanciona is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is sanciono. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo sanciono a la empresa por incumplir la norma.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo sancioné a la empresa por incumplir la norma.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: sanciono is happening now, while sancioné is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating sancionar and multar as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Sancionar means to sanction, while multar means to fine someone.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: sancionar fits sentences such as Sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla, while multar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy sancionado a la empresa por incumplir la norma.

✓ Correct: Yo he sancionado a la empresa por incumplir la norma.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he sancionado, has sancionado, ha sancionado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo sancioné al conductor por exceso de velocidad todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo sancionaba al conductor por exceso de velocidad todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (sancionaba), not the preterite. The preterite (sancioné) is for one finished action.

Quiz: sancionar in use

Ten questions on sancionar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “He/she sanctions the company for breaking the rule.”

  • a) sanciona
  • b) sanciono
  • c) sancionas
  • d) sancionamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “Yesterday, I sanctioned the driver for speeding.”

  • a) sancionaste
  • b) sancionó
  • c) sancionaron
  • d) sancioné

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al país con medidas económicas cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to sanction the country with economic measures when they were young.”

  • a) sancionabas
  • b) sancionábamos
  • c) sancionaban
  • d) sancionaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “Tomorrow, we will sanction the player with a yellow card.”

  • a) sancionarán
  • b) sancionaremos
  • c) sancionaré
  • d) sancionarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a la empresa por incumplir la norma si pudiera. — “He would sanction the company for breaking the rule if he could.”

  • a) sancionaría
  • b) sancionarías
  • c) sancionaríamos
  • d) sanciono

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “I have sanctioned the driver for speeding.”

  • a) has sancionado
  • b) ha sancionado
  • c) han sancionado
  • d) he sancionado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ al país con medidas económicas. — “I hope you sanction the country with economic measures.”

  • a) sancionemos
  • b) sanciono
  • c) sanciones
  • d) sancione

8. Which is the past participle of sancionar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) sancioné
  • b) sancionado
  • c) sancionando
  • d) sanciono

9. What does sancionar mean in English?

  • a) to sanction
  • b) to fine someone
  • c) to fine
  • d) to condemn

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma.
  • b) Él sanciono a la empresa por incumplir la norma.
  • c) Nosotros sanciona al conductor por exceso de velocidad.
  • d) Yo sanciona al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla.

Answer key

  1. a) sanciona — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: sanciona.

  2. d) sancioné — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: sancioné, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) sancionaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: sancionaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) sancionaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: sancionaremos.

  5. a) sancionaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: sancionaría.

  6. d) he sancionado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he sancionado, haber + sancionado.

  7. c) sanciones — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is sanciones.

  8. b) sancionado — The past participle is sancionado: he sancionado, has sancionado, ha sancionado. The gerund sancionando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to sanction — sancionar means to sanction. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use sancionar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla and Sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between sancionar and multar?

Sancionar means “to sanction”, while multar means “to fine someone”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use sancionar when you mean “to sanction” and multar when you mean “to fine someone”.

Which tense do I need most with sancionar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use sancionar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is sancionar formal or informal?

Sancionar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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