castigar Preterite Conjugation
castigar — to punish
The preterite of castigar is regular except for the 'yo' form (castigué), which adds a 'u' to keep the hard 'g' sound.
castigar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance of punishment that happened at a definite point in time.
Notes on castigar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form is irregular (spelling change): castigué. All other forms (castigaste, castigó, etc.) are regular.
Example Sentences
Ayer castigué a mi hijo sin videojuegos.
Yesterday I punished my son with no video games.
yo
El profesor castigó a toda la clase.
The teacher punished the whole class.
él/ella/usted
Mis padres me castigaron por llegar tarde.
My parents punished me for arriving late.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'castigé' for the yo form.
Correct: castigué
Why: You must add the 'u' to maintain the hard 'g' sound before the 'e'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: castigo
The present tense of castigar is completely regular: castigo, castigas, castiga, castigamos, castigáis, castigan.
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.
Negative Imperative
yo: no castigues
The negative imperative of castigar uses 'no' + present subjunctive, always including the 'u' (no castigues).