castigar Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
castigar — to punish
The affirmative imperative uses 'castiga' (tú) and 'castigue' (usted), with the 'u' spelling change in formal forms.
castigar Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
Use this to give a direct order to punish someone, though it is less common than other verbs in daily conversation.
Notes on castigar in the Affirmative Imperative
The formal commands (usted/ustedes) and 'nosotros' require the 'gu' spelling change (castigue, castiguen, castiguemos).
Example Sentences
Castiga a los culpables, no a los inocentes.
Punish the guilty, not the innocent.
tú
Castigue al perro si muerde los muebles.
Punish the dog if he bites the furniture.
usted
Castigad a los traidores.
Punish the traitors.
vosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'castiga' for usted.
Correct: castigue
Why: The usted command is taken from the subjunctive, which requires the spelling change.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: castigo
The present tense of castigar is completely regular: castigo, castigas, castiga, castigamos, castigáis, castigan.
Preterite
yo: castigué
The preterite of castigar is regular except for the 'yo' form (castigué), which adds a 'u' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Imperfect
yo: castigaba
The imperfect of castigar is regular: castigaba, castigabas, castigaba, castigábamos, castigabais, castigaban.
Future
yo: castigaré
The future of castigar is regular: castigaré, castigarás, castigará, castigaremos, castigaréis, castigarán.
Conditional
yo: castigaría
The conditional of castigar is regular: castigaría, castigarías, castigaría, castigaríamos, castigaríais, castigarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: castigue
The present subjunctive of castigar requires a 'u' after the 'g' (castigue) to keep the hard 'g' sound.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: castigara
The imperfect subjunctive of castigar is regular based on the third-person preterite: castigara, castigaras, castigara...
Negative Imperative
yo: no castigues
The negative imperative of castigar uses 'no' + present subjunctive, always including the 'u' (no castigues).