mascar Present Conjugation
mascar — to chew
The present tense of mascar is completely regular: masco, mascas, masca, mascamos, mascáis, mascan.
mascar Present Forms
When to Use the Present
Use this for current habits or general facts, such as 'I always chew my food well' or 'He chews gum every day'.
Notes on mascar in the Present
Mascar is a regular -ar verb in the present tense. No spelling changes occur because the endings start with 'o' or 'a'.
Example Sentences
Siempre masco chicle después de comer.
I always chew gum after eating.
yo
¿Por qué mascas tan fuerte?
Why do you chew so loudly?
tú
Los niños mascan caramelos blandos.
The children chew soft candies.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: masque (as a statement)
Correct: masca
Why: Don't confuse the present indicative with the subjunctive. Use 'masca' for facts and 'masque' for doubts/wishes.
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Related Tenses
Preterite
yo: masqué
The preterite of mascar is regular except for the 'yo' form spelling change: masqué.
Imperfect
yo: mascaba
The imperfect of mascar is regular: mascaba, mascabas, mascaba, mascábamos, mascabais, mascaban.
Future
yo: mascaré
The future of mascar is regular: mascaré, mascarás, mascará, mascaremos, mascaréis, mascarán.
Conditional
yo: mascaría
The conditional of mascar is regular: mascaría, mascarías, mascaría, mascaríamos, mascaríais, mascarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: masque
The present subjunctive of mascar requires a c-to-qu spelling change: masque, masques, masque, masquemos, masquéis, masquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: mascara
The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the third-person plural preterite: mascara, mascaras, mascara, mascáramos, mascarais, mascaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: masca
The affirmative imperative of mascar uses 'masca' for tú and 'masque' for usted.
Negative Imperative
yo: no masques
The negative imperative of mascar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no masques, no masque, no masquemos, no masquéis, no masquen.