The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Castigar is used to give direct orders or instructions to punish someone, for example Castiga al niño por su mal comportamiento. (Punish the child for his bad behavior.)

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

Conjugations

Conjugations of Castigar (to punish) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish):

Castigar generally means to punish or chastise, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To punish or discipline: This is the most common meaning. For example, ¡Castígalo por su mal comportamiento! (Punish him for his bad behavior!)

To reprimand or scold: For example, ¡Castígalo por llegar tarde! (Scold him for being late!)

To penalize or impose a penalty: For example, ¡Castígalos con una multa! (Penalize them with a fine!)

To criticize harshly: In a more figurative sense, for example, ¡Castiga su arrogancia con tus palabras! (Criticize his arrogance harshly with your words!)

To beat or thrash (colloquial): In a more vulgar usage, for example, ¡Castígalo por meterse conmigo! (Beat him up for messing with me!)

Examples

Examples of Castigar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Castiga a tu hijo cuando se porte mal! (Discipline your child when they misbehave!)

Padres, castiguemos a los niños por llegar tarde a casa. (Parents, let’s punish the kids for coming home late.)

Maestros, castigad a los estudiantes que copien en los exámenes. (Teachers, punish the students who cheat on exams.)

Jueces, castiguen a los criminales por sus crímenes. (Judges, punish the criminals for their crimes.)

Si tus hijos desobedecen, castígalos quitándoles sus privilegios. (If your kids disobey, punish them by taking away their privileges.)

Cuando tus empleados lleguen tarde, castígalos con una multa. (When your employees are late, punish them with a fine.)

Compañeros, castiguemos a quienes rompan las reglas del equipo. (Teammates, let’s punish those who break the team rules.)

Ciudadanos, castiguen a los políticos corruptos sacándolos del poder. (Citizens, punish the corrupt politicians by removing them from power.)

Si tu perro se porta mal, castígalo sin darle premios. (If your dog misbehaves, punish it by not giving it treats.)

Cuando tus amigos te fallen, castígalos alejándote de ellos. (When your friends let you down, punish them by distancing yourself.)

Sociedad, castiguemos a quienes cometan crímenes de odio. (Society, let’s punish those who commit hate crimes.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Castigar (to punish) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.