Sancionar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of sancionar — “to sanction” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for sancionar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. 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. To see it in a real sentence: Sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “I sanction the player with a yellow card.” Learn the six forms in the table below, and the present tense of sancionar will be ready for everyday conversation.
Present tense conjugation table: sancionar
Every person of sancionar in the present tense. The gerund is sancionando and the past participle is sancionado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | sanciono |
| tú | sancionas |
| él/ella/Ud. | sanciona |
| nosotros/as | sancionamos |
| vosotros/as | sancionáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | sancionan |
How the present indicative of sancionar is formed
The present indicative of sancionar is built from the stem plus the present indicative endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | sanciono |
| tú | -as | sancionas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | sanciona |
| nosotros/as | -amos | sancionamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | sancionáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | sancionan |
Sancionar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the table above is completely regular. The stem is sancion- and the endings are the normal -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can produce every form on this page.
The gerund of sancionar is sancionando and the past participle is sancionado. Both are regular for this verb, and the participle is the form you need for all the perfect tenses with haber.
When to use the present tense of sancionar
The present tense is not one single use — it covers several situations, and sancionar appears in all of them. The five uses below are the ones you will meet most often, each with an example that shows the verb in a natural sentence.
Routines and habits
Use the present for things you do regularly, every day or every week. The present is the tense of routine, and sancionar fits naturally into daily life.
“Yo sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla todos los días.” — “I sanction the player with a yellow card every day.”
General facts
Use the present for facts that are true in general, not just today. When you state how something is, the present is the tense to use.
“Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma.” — “He/she sanctions the company for breaking the rule.”
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment. Spanish often uses the simple present where English uses the progressive, so sanciono can mean both “I sanction” and “I am sanctioning”.
“Ahora mismo, yo sanciono al conductor por exceso de velocidad.” — “Right now, I sanction the driver for speeding.”
Fixed plans in the near future
Use the present for a plan that is already fixed, such as something arranged for tomorrow. Spanish uses the present for near-future plans much more freely than English does.
“Mañana, yo sanciono al país con medidas económicas.” — “Tomorrow, I will sanction the country with economic measures.”
Questions and negatives
Use the present to ask about habits and to say what does not happen. The question and the negative use exactly the same forms as the statement.
“¿Tú sancionas al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla?” — “Do you sanction the player with a yellow card?”
The present tense vs the closest tenses
Present — habit or general fact vs Preterite — one finished occasion
The present describes a habit, a routine or a general fact — something that happens again and again or that is true in general. The preterite reports one finished occasion in the past. Use the present when the action repeats or is still true, and the preterite when you are telling what happened once, on a specific day.
- Present — habit or general fact: Sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “He/she sanctions the company for breaking the rule.”
- Preterite — one finished occasion: Sancionó a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — the same idea, placed in the preterite.
Present — now vs Imperfect — a past habit or background
The present talks about now. The imperfect talks about the past as a background — a repeated habit, an ongoing situation, something that used to happen. If you can add “used to” in English, the imperfect is usually the right choice; if it is happening now or always, use the present.
- Present — now: Sancionan al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “They sanction the driver for speeding.”
- Imperfect — a past habit or background: Sancionaban al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — the same idea, placed in the imperfect.
Present — now or a fixed plan vs Future — what will happen
The present describes what happens now, what you do regularly, or a plan that is already fixed. The future describes what will happen later — a promise, a prediction, a plan that is not yet under way. Spanish often uses the present for near-future plans, but the future is the form for a clear statement about tomorrow.
- Present — now or a fixed plan: Sancionas al país con medidas económicas. — “You sanction the country with economic measures.”
- Future — what will happen: Sancionarás al país con medidas económicas. — the same idea, placed in the future.
Examples: sancionar in the present tense
Seven sentences that show sancionar in the present tense only, across all six persons. Read each one aloud, notice the ending, and check the translation.
- Yo sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “I sanction the player with a yellow card.”
- Tú sancionas a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “You sanction the company for breaking the rule.”
- Él sanciona al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “He sanctions the driver for speeding.”
- Nosotros sancionamos al país con medidas económicas. — “We sanction the country with economic measures.”
- Vosotros sancionáis al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “You (plural) sanction the player with a yellow card.”
- Ellos sancionan a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “They sanction the company for breaking the rule.”
- ¿Tú sancionas al conductor por exceso de velocidad? — “Do you sanction the driver for speeding?”
Common mistakes with sancionar in the present tense
These are the errors learners actually make with sancionar in the present tense. Each one shows the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.
✗ Yo sancionar al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. (using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form).
✓ Correct: Yo sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla.
The infinitive is not a conjugated form. With yo, the present tense of sancionar is sanciono, not the infinitive sancionar.
✗ Vosotros sancionais al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. (forgetting the accent on the vosotros form).
✓ Correct: Vosotros sancionáis al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla.
The vosotros present form carries a written accent: sancionáis, not sancionais. The accent marks the stressed vowel, and leaving it out is a spelling mistake.
✗ Ayer, yo sanciono a la empresa por incumplir la norma. (using the present for a finished past action).
✓ 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. (confusing sancionar with multar).
✓ 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.
Quiz: sancionar in the present tense
Eight questions on the present tense of sancionar. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below — every answer is explained.
1. Which is the correct present tense form of sancionar for tú?
- a) sancionas
- b) sanciono
- c) sanciona
- d) sancionan
2. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “I sanction the player with a yellow card.”
- a) sanciona
- b) sancionamos
- c) sancionas
- d) sanciono
3. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a la empresa por incumplir la norma. — “He/she sanctions the company for breaking the rule.” (present tense)
- a) sancionaba
- b) sancionará
- c) sanciona
- d) sancionó
4. Which is the correct present tense form of sancionar for nosotros?
- a) sancionan
- b) sancionamos
- c) sanciono
- d) sanciona
5. Which sentence uses sancionar correctly in the present tense?
- a) Él sancionó a la empresa por incumplir la norma.
- b) Él sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma.
- c) Él sancionará a la empresa por incumplir la norma.
- d) Ellos sanciona a la empresa por incumplir la norma.
6. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ al conductor por exceso de velocidad. — “They sanction the driver for speeding.”
- a) sanciono
- b) sanciona
- c) sancionamos
- d) sancionan
7. Complete the question: ¿Tú ______ al país con medidas económicas? — “Do you sanction the country with economic measures?”
- a) sanciona
- b) sancionarás
- c) sancionas
- d) sanciono
8. What is the gerund of sancionar?
- a) sancioné
- b) sancionando
- c) sancionado
- d) sanciono
Answer key
a) sancionas — The tú form is sancionas. The -s ending belongs to tú in the present; sanciono is yo, sanciona is él/ella and sancionan is ellos/ellas.
d) sanciono — The sentence needs the yo form in the present: sanciono. The other options are the wrong person.
c) sanciona — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: sanciona. The other options are the preterite, the imperfect and the future.
b) sancionamos — Nosotros takes sancionamos. In the present the nosotros ending for -ar verbs is -amos, attached to the stem.
b) 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 use the wrong person or the wrong tense.
d) sancionan — The subject is ellos/ellas/Uds., so the present form is sancionan.
c) sancionas — The question needs the tú form in the present: sancionas.
b) sancionando — The gerund is sancionando. It is the form you use with estar for the progressive (estar + gerund), and it is not the past participle sancionado.
Frequently asked questions
Is sancionar regular in the present tense?
Yes. Sancionar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense, so the forms follow the standard endings: sanciono, sancionas, sanciona, sancionamos, sancionáis and sancionan.
What is the gerund and the past participle of sancionar?
The gerund is sancionando and the past participle is sancionado. Use the gerund with estar for the progressive, and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses.
How do you say “I sanction” in Spanish?
Say sanciono. For example: Sanciono al jugador con una tarjeta amarilla. — “I sanction the player with a yellow card.”
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”. The full conjugation of sancionar is on its own page.
Related links
- Full conjugation of sancionar — every tense and mood, with the complete tables.
- sancionar examples and quiz — more sentences, dialogues and a longer quiz.
- Spanish Present tense guide — how the present tense works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the full list of Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Multar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with sancionar.
- Condenar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with sancionar.
- Legislar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with sancionar.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise this verb in the interactive tool.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on Spanish verbs.