punis

Punis is the present-tense form of the French verb punir, meaning to punish. In present indicative usage, the forms je punis and tu punis share the same spelling, while il punit, nous punissons, vous punissez, and ils punissent complete the conjugation pattern for this -ir verb. The past participle of punir is puni, which is used with the auxiliary avoir to form the passé composé (e.g., j’ai puni, tu as puni, il a puni).

Etymology and related forms

Punir derives from Latin punire. Related words in French include punition (punishment), punisseur (punisher), punissable (punishable), and punissivité (punitive nature). The verb falls into the category of irregular -ir verbs, with a present tense that features punit for the third-person singular form il punit and the plural ils punissent.

Usage

Punir is used to describe imposing sanctions, penalties, or disciplinary measures, whether in legal, educational, organizational, or social contexts. It can refer to formal sanctions by authorities or to informal corrections by individuals. In legal language, phrases such as “punir les fautes” or “punir une infraction” are common. In everyday speech, it is often paired with objects indicating what is being punished.

Examples

Tu punis les actes de tricherie en les signalant. Le juge peut punir le délinquant selon la gravité de l’infraction. Dans l’éducation, certaines écoles préfèrent des mesures éducatives plutôt que des sanctions disciplinaires, mais punir reste une option dans le cadre légal et administratif.