A figure stands over a broken ceramic plate on the floor, pointing a stern, accusing finger directly at the broken object, symbolizing blame.

culpo

KUHL-poh

VerbB1regular ar

I blame?assigning responsibility

Also:I fault?holding responsible

Quick Reference

infinitiveculpar

gerundculpando

past Participleculpado

📝 In Action

Yo culpo a la política por la situación económica.

I blame politics for the economic situation.

No te culpo por querer irte temprano.

I don't blame you for wanting to leave early.

Si algo sale mal, me culpo solo a mí.

If something goes wrong, I only blame myself.

Word Connections

Synonyms

responsabilizar (to hold responsible)
acusar (to accuse)

Antonyms

exonerar (to exonerate)

Common Collocations

echar la culpa – to place the blame
tener la culpa – to be at fault

💡 Grammar Points

Using 'A' with People

When you blame a person (or even a pet), you must put the word 'a' right before them. Example: 'Culpo a Juan' (I blame Juan).

Regular -AR Verb

Since 'culpar' ends in -ar, it follows the most common Spanish verb pattern. Once you know the pattern for 'hablar' or 'cantar', you know how to conjugate 'culpar'!

❌ Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the Preposition

Mistake: "Culpo el problema."

Correction: Culpo AL problema. (When blaming a thing, you often use 'al' or 'por' to link the blame to the thing/cause.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Self-Blame

To say 'I blame myself,' use the reflexive form: 'Me culpo.' This is common and natural in Spanish.

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedculpa

yoculpo

túculpas

ellos/ellas/ustedesculpan

nosotrosculpamos

vosotrosculpáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedculpaba

yoculpaba

túculpabas

ellos/ellas/ustedesculpaban

nosotrosculpábamos

vosotrosculpabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedculpó

yoculpé

túculpaste

ellos/ellas/ustedesculparon

nosotrosculpamos

vosotrosculpasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedculpe

yoculpe

túculpes

ellos/ellas/ustedesculpen

nosotrosculpemos

vosotrosculpéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedculpara

yoculpara

túculparas

ellos/ellas/ustedesculparan

nosotrosculpáramos

vosotrosculparais

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: culpo

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'culpo' to blame the weather?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

culpa(guilt, blame (noun)) - noun

culpable(guilty (adjective)) - adjective

culpabilidad(guilt (abstract noun)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'culpo' used formally or informally?

'Culpo' is a neutral, everyday word used in all registers. It's perfectly fine to use it in conversation, news reports, or formal letters.

How do I say 'He blames me' using the verb 'culpar'?

You would say 'Él me culpa.' The small word 'me' (me) goes right before the conjugated verb 'culpa' (he blames).