The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of Masticar is used to give direct orders or instructions to chew or masticate 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 (Castilian 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 las palabras cuando hables! (Enunciate the words when you speak!)

Vulgar slang meaning: An impolite way of telling 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 bien tu comida! (Chew your food well!)

Antes de tragar, mastiquen lentamente. (Before swallowing, chew slowly.)

Mamá, mastiquemos despacio para disfrutar la cena. (Mom, let’s chew slowly to enjoy dinner.)

Amigos, masticad con cuidado esos caramelos duros. (Friends, chew those hard candies carefully.)

Señor, por favor mastique con la boca cerrada. (Sir, please chew with your mouth closed.)

En la reunión de negocios, mastiquen discretamente sus chicles. (At the business meeting, chew your gum discreetly.)

Antes de hablar, mastica y traga tu bocado. (Before speaking, chew and swallow your bite.)

¡Mastiquemos estas ricas galletas con calma! (Let’s chew these delicious cookies slowly!)

Abuela, mastique bien esa carne para digerirla mejor. (Grandma, chew that meat well to digest it better.)

En el restaurante elegante, mastiquen en silencio por respeto. (At the fancy restaurant, chew silently out of respect.)

Niños, masticad despacio y disfruten sus alimentos. (Kids, chew slowly and enjoy your food.)

Para aprovechar los nutrientes, mastica muy bien las verduras. (To get the nutrients, chew the vegetables very well.)

En la cena familiar, mastiquemos tranquilamente mientras conversamos. (At the family dinner, let’s chew calmly while we chat.)

Compañeros de trabajo, mastiquen con moderación esos bocadillos. (Co-workers, chew those snacks in moderation.)

Cuando estés ansioso, mastica un chicle sin azúcar para calmarte. (When you’re anxious, chew a sugar-free gum to calm down.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American 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.