castigar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
castigar — to punish
The present subjunctive of castigar requires a 'u' after the 'g' (castigue) to keep the hard 'g' sound.
castigar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this when expressing a wish, a command, or a doubt about someone being punished, such as after 'No quiero que...' or 'Espero que...'.
Notes on castigar in the Present Subjunctive
This tense has a spelling change (g to gu) in all forms to preserve the hard 'g' sound of the infinitive before the 'e' endings.
Example Sentences
No quiero que me castiguen por algo que no hice.
I don't want them to punish me for something I didn't do.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Es posible que el juez lo castigue.
It is possible that the judge will punish him.
él/ella/usted
Dudo que nos castiguemos por este error.
I doubt we will punish ourselves for this mistake.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'castige' instead of 'castigue'.
Correct: castigue
Why: Without the 'u', the 'g' would sound like an 'h' (soft sound) before an 'e'.
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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.
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.
Negative Imperative
yo: no castigues
The negative imperative of castigar uses 'no' + present subjunctive, always including the 'u' (no castigues).