Masticar in the Present Tense

Masticar means “to chew”, and this page covers exactly one thing: masticar in the present tense. The present is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about routines, facts and what is happening now. On this page you will find the full present table for masticar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about masticar in the present. For example: “Yo mastico la comida despacio.” — I chew the food slowly. Everything on this page uses the forms of masticar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Masticar in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
yo mastico
tú masticas
él/ella/Ud. mastica
nosotros/as masticamos
vosotros/as masticáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. mastican

Gerund: masticando · Past participle: masticado

The gerund is masticando, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy masticando” means the action of masticar is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is masticado, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he masticado” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how masticar is used.

How the present of masticar is formed

Masticar is regular in the present tense. Take the stem mastic and add the present endings for -ar verbs: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an, giving mastico, masticas, mastica, masticamos, masticáis, mastican. Watch the accents: the yo form is mastico and the él/ella/Ud. form is mastica.

When to use the present of masticar

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use masticar in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Routines and habits

The present tense is the tense of what you do regularly. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the right choice, and masticar is no exception. Example: “Yo mastico la comida despacio todos los días.” — I chew the food slowly every day.

2. Facts and general truths

The present states facts that are true in general, not just right now. Use it to say what masticar means in practice and how it works in the world. Example: “Mastica chicle en clase.” — He/she chews gum in class.

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes actions in progress at this very moment. When something is happening as you speak, the present tense says so directly. Example: “Yo mastico el pan con calma ahora.” — I chew the bread calmly now.

4. Scheduled events in the near future

Spanish often uses the present for things that are already arranged, such as plans for tomorrow or next week. The present sounds more certain than the future in these cases. Example: “Nosotros masticamos bien antes de tragar.” — We chew well before swallowing.

5. Instructions and everyday speech

In everyday speech the present gives instructions, makes offers and states what someone does. It is the tense you will hear most often in conversation. Example: “Tú masticas la comida despacio.” — You chew the food slowly.

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the preterite, and choosing between them is one of the first decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the present describes routines, facts and what is happening now, while the preterite reports one finished action. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is a habit or a finished event. Time words help: todos los días and cada semana point to the present, while ayer and la semana pasada point to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Yo mastico la comida despacio todos los días.” — I chew the food slowly every day.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, yo mastiqué la comida despacio.” — Yesterday, I chewed the food slowly.

  • The present sentence describes a habit; the preterite sentence reports one finished action. Todos los días points to the present, ayer points to the preterite.

  • Present Tense: “Él mastica chicle en clase cada semana.” — He/she chews gum in class every week.

  • Preterite: “La semana pasada, él masticó chicle en clase.” — Last week, he chewed gum in class.

  • Cada semana describes a routine, so the present is right; la semana pasada names one finished week, so the preterite is right.

  • Present Tense: “Nosotros masticamos el pan con calma a menudo.” — We chew the bread calmly often.

  • Preterite: “Ayer, nosotros masticamos el pan con calma.” — Yesterday, we chewed the bread calmly.

  • The present sentence counts no single event; the preterite sentence counts one finished action. That difference — habit versus finished event — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: masticar in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Mastico la comida despacio.” — I chew the food slowly.

  2. “Masticas chicle en clase.” — You chew gum in class.

  3. “Mastica el pan con calma.” — He/she chews the bread calmly.

  4. “Masticamos bien antes de tragar.” — We chew well before swallowing.

  5. “Masticáis la comida despacio.” — You chew the food slowly.

  6. “Mastican chicle en clase.” — They chew gum in class.

  7. “Mastico el pan con calma.” — I chew the bread calmly.

  8. “Mastica bien antes de tragar.” — He/she chews well before swallowing.

Common mistakes with masticar in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ellos mastica la comida despacio.” Right: “Ellos mastican la comida despacio.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form mastican. The singular mastica belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Espero que yo mastice chicle en clase.” Right: “Espero que yo mastique chicle en clase.” Why: Masticar is a spelling-change verb: the final consonant of the stem changes before e, so the subjunctive is mastique.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros masticas el pan con calma.” Right: “Nosotros masticamos el pan con calma.” Why: Nosotros needs masticamos. The tú form masticas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos mastico bien antes de tragar todos los días.” Right: “Ellos mastican bien antes de tragar todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form mastican, not the yo form mastico. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: masticar in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ la comida despacio.” (The food slowly.)

  • (a) mastico
  • (b) masticas
  • (c) mastica

Answer: mastico — The yo form of masticar in the present is mastico. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ chicle en clase?” (Gum in class.)

  • (a) mastico
  • (b) mastica
  • (c) masticas

Answer: masticas — The tú form of masticar in the present is masticas. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el pan con calma.” (The bread calmly.)

  • (a) masticas
  • (b) mastica
  • (c) mastico

Answer: mastica — The él/ella/Ud. form of masticar in the present is mastica. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ bien antes de tragar.” (Well before swallowing.)

  • (a) masticamos
  • (b) mastico
  • (c) masticas

Answer: masticamos — The nosotros/as form of masticar in the present is masticamos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

5. What is the vosotros/as form of masticar in the present?

  • (a) mastico
  • (b) masticas
  • (c) masticáis

Answer: masticáis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes masticáis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros masticáis la comida despacio.” to fix it in your memory.

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ chicle en clase.” (Gum in class.)

  • (a) masticas
  • (b) mastican
  • (c) mastico

Answer: mastican — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of masticar in the present is mastican. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.

7. Which is the correct yo form of masticar in the present?

  • (a) mastico
  • (b) masticas
  • (c) mastica

Answer: mastico — The yo form is mastico. The other two options are the forms for other persons.

8. Which sentence describes a habit in the present?

  • (a) Yo mastiqué la comida despacio todos los días.
  • (b) Nosotros masticaremos la comida despacio mañana.
  • (c) Yo mastico la comida despacio todos los días.

Answer: Yo mastico la comida despacio todos los días. — “Yo mastico la comida despacio todos los días.” describes a habit, so it takes the present. The second option reports a finished action in the past, and the third looks to the future.

Frequently asked questions

Is masticar regular in the present?

Masticar is a spelling-change verb, so some forms change spelling to keep the same consonant sound, but the present forms in the table above are the correct ones: mastico, masticas, mastica, masticamos, masticáis, mastican.

What is the past participle of masticar?

The past participle is masticado: 'He masticado' means 'I have chewed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is masticando.

Does masticar take a preposition?

It depends on the meaning. Masticar is a spelling-change verb: c becomes qu before e, so the subjunctive is mastique and the preterite is mastiqué. In the examples on this page, masticar appears with complements such as la comida despacio and chicle en clase, so copy those patterns when you write your own sentences.

How do I remember the present forms of masticar?

Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo mastico, tú masticas, él/ella/Ud. mastica, nosotros/as masticamos, vosotros/as masticáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. mastican. Then write three of your own sentences with masticar in the present, using the examples on this page as models.

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