machacar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
machacar — to crush
The present subjunctive of machacar features a spelling change (c to qu) in all forms: machaque, machaques, machaque, machaquemos, machaquéis, machaquen.
machacar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense when expressing a wish, doubt, or suggestion about crushing something, or when a boss or recipe requires that you 'crush' an ingredient.
Notes on machacar in the Present Subjunctive
This verb has a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' before the letter 'e' to preserve the hard 'k' sound. It is not irregular in its endings, just its spelling.
Example Sentences
Espero que machaques bien el ajo para la salsa.
I hope you crush the garlic well for the sauce.
tú
El chef quiere que machaquemos las especias a mano.
The chef wants us to crush the spices by hand.
nosotros
Dudo que ellos machaquen las patatas correctamente.
I doubt they will mash the potatoes correctly.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'machace' instead of 'machaque'.
Correct: machaque
Why: In Spanish, 'ce' sounds like 'se' or 'the'. To keep the 'k' sound of the infinitive, you must use 'que'.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: machaco
The present tense of machacar is completely regular: machaco, machacas, machaca, machacamos, machacáis, machacan.
Preterite
yo: machaque
The preterite of machacar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to 'machaqué'.
Imperfect
yo: machacaba
The imperfect of machacar is regular: machacaba, machacabas, machacaba, machacábamos, machacabais, machacaban.
Future
yo: machacaré
The future tense of machacar is regular: add endings to the infinitive (machacaré, machacarás, etc.).
Conditional
yo: machacaría
The conditional of machacar is regular: attach -ía endings to the full infinitive (machacaría, machacarías, etc.).
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: machacara
The imperfect subjunctive of machacar is regular, based on the third-person plural preterite: machacara, machacaras, machacara...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: machaca
The imperative of machacar uses the spelling change 'qu' for formal commands (machaque) and 'c' for informal (machaca).
Negative Imperative
yo: no machaques
The negative imperative of machacar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no machaques, no machaque, no machaquemos, etc.