The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Masticar is used to give direct orders or instructions to chew something, for example: Mastica bien la comida. (Chew your food well.)

This verb follows the -car to -que spelling-changing conjugation pattern, where the ‘c’ changes to ‘qu’ before the endings are added.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Masticar (to chew) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

Masticar generally means to chew or masticate, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To chew food, for example, ¡Mastica bien tu comida! (Chew your food well!)

Figurative meaning: To ponder or think deeply about something, for example, ¡Mastica bien esa idea antes de tomar una decisión! (Chew on that idea well before making a decision!)

Slang meaning: To speak or pronounce words clearly, for example, ¡Mastica bien las palabras cuando hables! (Enunciate the words well when you speak!)

Vulgar slang meaning: An impolite way to tell someone to shut up or stop talking nonsense, for example, ¡Mastica y traga tus palabras! (Chew on your words and swallow them!)

Examples

Examples of Masticar in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

¡Mastica tu comida con cuidado! (Chew your food carefully!)

Niños, mastiquen despacio para no atragantarse. (Kids, chew slowly so you don’t choke.)

Para una buena digestión, mastiquemos cada bocado por completo. (For good digestion, let’s chew each bite thoroughly.)

¡Mastica con la boca cerrada, por favor! (Chew with your mouth closed, please!)

En el restaurante, mastiquen tranquilos y disfruten la comida. (At the restaurant, chew calmly and enjoy the food.)

Para evitar indigestión, mastiquemos despacio esta comida pesada. (To avoid indigestion, let’s chew this heavy food slowly.)

¡Mastica bien esa carne, no la tragues entera! (Chew that meat well, don’t swallow it whole!)

En la cena familiar, mastiquen y conversen a la vez. (At the family dinner, chew and converse at the same time.)

Compañeros, mastiquemos en silencio durante la reunión. (Colleagues, let’s chew silently during the meeting.)

¡Mastica esos chicles con discreción! (Chew those gums discreetly!)

En el picnic, mastiquen tranquilos y admiren el paisaje. (At the picnic, chew calmly and admire the scenery.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Masticar (to chew) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.