Castiguen

Castiguen is the third-person plural present-subjunctive form of the Spanish verb castigar, meaning to punish. In everyday usage, castiguen appears in clauses that require the subjunctive mood, often after expressions of desire, doubt, necessity, or command.

Etymology and morphology: Castigar derives from Latin castigare, meaning to punish or chasten. In Spanish, castigar is a regular -ar verb; its present-subjunctive forms include castigue, castigues, castigue, castiguemos, castigéis, and castiguen. The form castiguen specifically corresponds to “they punish” or “you (plural) punish” in the subjunctive, as in ustedes castiguən.

Usage: Castiguen is used in subordinate clauses introduced by que, after verbs or expressions that call for the subjunctive. Examples include: “Es necesario que castiguen a los responsables,” or “Que castiguen a los culpables” to express a wish or demand. It can also appear in indirect commands or prescriptions within formal or legal language.

Examples:

- Espero que castiguen a los culpables.

- Que castiguen a los responsables para que no vuelva a ocurrir.

- Es posible que castiguen a los infractores conforme a la ley.

Notes: Castiguen is not a standalone lexical item beyond its grammatical function as a verb form. It can be confused with other subjunctive forms for different subjects (castigo, castigue, castiguemos, etc.), so attention to the subject and tense is important in correct usage.

See also: Castigar; Subjunctive mood; Spanish verb conjugation.