punire
/puˈni.re/
The English verb "punish" is translated into Italian as punire. Wiktionary also lists castigare.
Meaning: to cause to suffer for crime or misconduct (verb)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| punire | /puˈni.re/ |
| castigare | /kas.tiˈɡa.re/ |
Both punire and castigare are used to describe causing someone to suffer for a crime or misconduct. In official or bureaucratic settings, such as when referring to legal penalties, you might use sanzionare to mean imposing sanctions.
Which one should you use?
punire is the standard term for punishment, whereas castigare is used in more formal or literary contexts to mean disciplining or correcting behavior.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun form of the verb is punizione, and the past participle is punito.
How do you pronounce it?
/puˈni.re/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The verb castigare shares its root with the English word 'chaste', originally meaning to make something pure or to purge it of impurities.
- In modern Italian, you might hear the phrase punizione divina to describe a streak of bad luck or a series of unfortunate events, even if no actual crime was committed.
- In some regional dialects, the concept of 'punishment' for a mistake can be expressed through the verb prendere una lezione, which literally means 'to take a lesson'.
Examples in context
- Loro mi volevano punire.They wanted to punish me.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use punire in a simple sentence.Tatoeba #4984483 by Guybrush88, translation #4983559 by CK
- Lo spinsero a punire i ribelli.They urged him to punish the rebels.This sentence shows how to use punire with a direct object.Tatoeba #1239665 by Guybrush88, translation #802378 by Source_VOA
- A Singapore, un modo per punire i criminali è frustarli.In Singapore, one way to punish criminals is to whip them.This sentence demonstrates the use of punire regarding criminals.Tatoeba #2134636 by Guybrush88, translation #1497591 by CK
- Il tribunale ha deciso di punire il reo con una pena detentiva.The court decided to punish the criminal with a prison sentence.
- Il sistema legale prevede di castigare severamente i colpevoli.The legal system provides for the severe punishment of the guilty.
- Il governo ha deciso di sanzionare i trasgressori per scoraggiare comportamenti illegali.The government has decided to punish the offenders to discourage illegal conduct.
- Mia madre mi rimette sempre in riga quando faccio qualcosa di sbagliato.My mother always puts me back in line when I do something wrong.
- Se continui a fare rumore, mi toccherà correggerti!If you keep making noise, I'll have to correct you!
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Lorenzo are discussing a child's behavior.
- MartinaDobbiamo punire Marco per quello che ha fatto.We have to punish Marco for what he did.
- LorenzoHai ragione, ma non voglio essere troppo severo.You are right, but I don't want to be too harsh.
- MartinaÈ l'unico modo per farlo capire.It is the only way to make him understand.
- LorenzoVa bene, proveremo a punire il suo comportamento.All right, we will try to punish his behavior.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “punish” translations and entries punire, castigare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries castigare, punire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
