The Subjunctive Mood of Castigar is used to express desires, doubts, or hypothetical situations, for example: Es importante que no castiguemos a los niños. (It’s important that we don’t punish the children.)

This verb follows the -gar to -gue spelling-changing conjugation pattern, where the ‘g’ changes to ‘gu’ before the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’ in certain conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Castigar (to punish) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish):

The present subjunctive of castigar is used to express desires, doubts, demands, or hypothetical situations in the present tense.

To express a desire or hope: For example, Espero que mis padres no me castiguen por llegar tarde. (I hope my parents don’t punish me for being late.)

To express doubt or uncertainty: For example, Dudo que el profesor me castigue por faltar a clase. (I doubt the teacher will punish me for missing class.)

To express a demand or request: For example, Es necesario que castiguen a los delincuentes. (It’s necessary that they punish the criminals.)

To express a hypothetical situation: For example, Si yo castigara a mi hijo, sería por su propio bien. (If I were to punish my son, it would be for his own good.)

Slang/Idiomatic usage: ¡Me castigaron en el examen! (I got my ass kicked on that exam!) This usage implies being severely punished or suffering a difficult experience.

Examples

Examples of Castigar in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que el juez castigue al criminal con severidad. (It’s important that the judge punishes the criminal severely.)

Ojalá que mi jefe no me castigue por llegar tarde. (I hope my boss doesn’t punish me for being late.)

Aunque el niño se portó mal, no creo que sus padres lo castiguen. (Even though the child misbehaved, I don’t think his parents will punish him.)

Para que aprendas la lección, es necesario que te castiguemos. (For you to learn the lesson, it’s necessary that we punish you.)

Dudo que la policía castigue al ladrón con clemencia. (I doubt the police will punish the thief with leniency.)

Aunque el crimen fue grave, espero que el juez no lo castigue con la pena máxima. (Even though the crime was serious, I hope the judge doesn’t punish him with the maximum penalty.)

Ojalá que el profesor no nos castigue por no entregar la tarea a tiempo. (I hope the teacher doesn’t punish us for not turning in the homework on time.)

Para que aprendas a valorar lo que tienes, tus padres deben castigarte. (For you to learn to value what you have, your parents should punish you.)

Aunque el equipo jugó mal, no creo que el entrenador los castigue con entrenamientos extras. (Even though the team played poorly, I don’t think the coach will punish them with extra training.)

Ojalá que mi jefe no me castigue por tomar demasiados días de vacaciones. (I hope my boss doesn’t punish me for taking too many vacation days.)

Para que aprendas a ser más responsable, tus padres deben castigarte quitándote tus privilegios. (For you to learn to be more responsible, your parents should punish you by taking away your privileges.)

Aunque el empleado cometió un error, no creo que la empresa lo castigue despidiéndolo. (Even though the employee made a mistake, I don’t think the company will punish him by firing him.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Castigar (to punish) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.