The presente de subjuntivo of castigar is used to express desires, doubts, or uncertainty about punishing someone or something, for example: Es importante que el gobierno castigue los crímenes. (It’s important that the government punishes crimes.)

This verb belongs to the -gar to -gue spelling-changing conjugation type, 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 (Castilian Spanish):

Castigar generally means to punish or chastise, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To punish or discipline: For example, Es importante que los padres no castiguen a sus hijos por pequeñas faltas. (It’s important that parents don’t punish their children for minor offenses.)

To reprimand or scold: For example, Aunque el profesor castigue a los estudiantes que no hagan la tarea, lo hace con buena intención. (Even if the teacher scolds the students who don’t do their homework, he does it with good intentions.)

To penalize or impose a sanction: For example, El árbitro debe castigar a los jugadores que cometan faltas graves. (The referee must penalize players who commit serious fouls.)

To criticize or censure harshly (colloquial): For example, No me extraña que la prensa castigue al político por su escándalo. (It’s no surprise that the press harshly criticizes the politician for their scandal.)

To make suffer or torment (idiomatic): For example, Este calor insoportable me castiga cada verano. (This unbearable heat torments me every summer.)

Examples

Examples of Castigar in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que el juez castigue al criminal con severidad. (I hope the judge punishes the criminal severely.)

Es importante que los padres castiguen a sus hijos cuando se portan mal. (It’s important that parents punish their children when they misbehave.)

Ojalá que el gobierno castigue a las empresas que contaminan el medio ambiente. (I wish the government would punish companies that pollute the environment.)

Para que los alumnos aprendan la lección, el maestro debe castigarlos cuando hagan travesuras. (For the students to learn the lesson, the teacher must punish them when they misbehave.)

Aunque no me gusta, es necesario que castiguemos a nuestro hijo para que entienda las consecuencias de sus acciones. (Although I don’t like it, it’s necessary that we punish our son so he understands the consequences of his actions.)

Dudo que las autoridades castiguen a los responsables del escándalo político. (I doubt the authorities will punish those responsible for the political scandal.)

Es fundamental que las leyes castiguen los delitos de corrupción con cárcel. (It’s essential that laws punish corruption crimes with jail time.)

Quiero que mis padres me castiguen cuando me porte mal para aprender a ser responsable. (I want my parents to punish me when I misbehave so I can learn to be responsible.)

Aunque no es fácil, a veces los jefes tienen que castigar a los empleados que no cumplen con su trabajo. (Although it’s not easy, sometimes bosses have to punish employees who don’t do their job.)

Sería bueno que las escuelas castigaran el acoso escolar con expulsiones temporales. (It would be good if schools punished bullying with temporary expulsions.)

Ojalá que el árbitro castigue las faltas graves con tarjetas rojas en el próximo partido. (I hope the referee punishes serious fouls with red cards in the next game.)

Para mantener el orden, es necesario que los policías castiguen a los que violan la ley. (To maintain order, it’s necessary that police officers punish those who break the law.)

Aunque sea difícil, los padres deben castigar a los hijos cuando hacen algo malo. (Although it’s difficult, parents must punish their children when they do something wrong.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.