masticar Present Subjunctive Conjugation
masticar — to chew
Masticar undergoes a spelling change from 'c' to 'qu' in all present subjunctive forms: mastique, mastiques, mastique, mastiquemos, mastiquéis, mastiquen.
masticar Present Subjunctive Forms
When to Use the Present Subjunctive
Use this tense when expressing a wish, doubt, or command regarding how someone chews—like a parent telling a child to chew with their mouth closed or a doctor advising a patient.
Notes on masticar in the Present Subjunctive
The verb is a 'c to qu' spelling-change verb. We change the 'c' to 'qu' before the letter 'e' to maintain the hard 'k' sound of the infinitive.
Example Sentences
Es importante que mastiques bien la comida.
It's important that you chew your food well.
tú
Dudo que él mastique chicle en clase.
I doubt that he chews gum in class.
él/ella/usted
Mi dentista recomienda que mastiquemos por ambos lados.
My dentist recommends that we chew on both sides.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: mastice
Correct: mastique
Why: If you use a 'c', it would be pronounced like an 's' or 'th' (mastise). The 'qu' is required to keep the hard 'k' sound.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: mastico
Masticar is a completely regular -ar verb in the present tense: mastico, masticas, mastica, masticamos, masticáis, mastican.
Preterite
yo: mastiqué
Masticar is regular except for the 'yo' form, which changes to mastiqué to keep the hard 'k' sound.
Imperfect
yo: masticaba
The imperfect of masticar is regular: masticaba, masticabas, masticaba, masticábamos, masticabais, masticaban.
Future
yo: masticaré
The future of masticar is regular: masticaré, masticarás, masticará, masticaremos, masticaréis, masticarán.
Conditional
yo: masticaría
The conditional of masticar is regular: masticaría, masticarías, masticaría, masticaríamos, masticaríais, masticarían.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: masticara
The imperfect subjunctive of masticar is regular: masticara, masticaras, masticara, masticáramos, masticarais, masticaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: mastica
The imperative forms are: mastica (tú), mastique (usted), mastiquemos (nosotros), masticad (vosotros), mastiquen (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no mastiques
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no mastiques (tú), no mastique (usted), no mastiquemos (nosotros), no mastiquéis (vosotros), no mastiquen (ustedes).