castigar Negative Imperative Conjugation
castigar — to punish
The negative imperative of castigar uses 'no' + present subjunctive, always including the 'u' (no castigues).
castigar Negative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Negative Imperative
Use this to tell someone NOT to punish another person or themselves.
Notes on castigar in the Negative Imperative
All forms use the 'gu' spelling change to maintain the hard 'g' sound.
Example Sentences
No me castigues, por favor.
Don't punish me, please.
tú
No castiguen a los alumnos todavía.
Don't punish the students yet.
ustedes
No castiguemos sin pruebas.
Let's not punish without proof.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'no castiga' instead of 'no castigues'.
Correct: no castigues
Why: Negative commands must use the subjunctive forms, not the indicative.
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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...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: castiga
The affirmative imperative uses 'castiga' (tú) and 'castigue' (usted), with the 'u' spelling change in formal forms.