How to Say "to pound" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to pound” is “machacar” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA2
verbA2
hitting something repeatedly with a tool
Examples
Tienes que machacar el ajo con un poco de sal.
You have to mash the garlic with a bit of salt.
Machacaron las piedras para construir el camino.
They crushed the stones to build the path.
Me machaqué el dedo con el martillo.
I crushed/smashed my finger with the hammer.
The 'C' to 'QU' Spelling Rule
When 'c' meets an 'e' in Spanish, it usually sounds like 's'. To keep the hard 'k' sound of 'machacar', we change the 'c' to 'qu' in forms like 'machaque'.
Avoid saying 'machacé'
Mistake: “Yo machacé el ajo.”
Correction: Yo machaque el ajo. (We use 'qu' to keep the hard 'k' sound before an 'e'.)
Related Translations
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