The Present Tense of masticar is used to describe an action that is happening right now or that happens regularly. For example, Mastico una manzana. (I chew an apple.)

Masticar is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Masticar (to chew) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Masticar generally means to chew or masticate, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To chew food, for example, Yo mastico la comida lentamente (I chew the food slowly).

To ponder or think deeply: To ruminate or think deeply about something, for example, Ella mastica las ideas antes de hablar (She ponders the ideas before speaking).

To speak unclearly (colloquial): To mumble or speak in an unclear manner, for example, No te entiendo cuando mastican las palabras (I don’t understand you when you mumble the words).

To insult or criticize (slang, rude): To verbally attack or insult someone, for example, Él me mastica cada vez que cometo un error (He insults me every time I make a mistake).

Examples

Examples of Masticar in the Present Tense

Yo mastico chicle mientras camino. (I chew gum while walking.)

¿Por qué masticas tan rápido? Debes masticar lentamente para digerir bien. (Why do you chew so fast? You should chew slowly to digest well.)

Mi abuela siempre mastica con la boca cerrada, es de buena educación. (My grandma always chews with her mouth closed, it’s good manners.)

En el restaurante, masticamos la comida despacio para saborearla. (At the restaurant, we chew the food slowly to savor it.)

Ustedes mastican muy fuerte, casi no puedo escuchar la película. (You all chew so loudly, I can barely hear the movie.)

Los niños mastican chicles todo el día, es un mal hábito. (The kids chew gum all day, it’s a bad habit.)

Cuando mastico mucho chicle, me duele la mandíbula. (When I chew a lot of gum, my jaw hurts.)

¿Por qué masticas las uñas? Es un hábito nervioso. (Why do you chew your nails? It’s a nervous habit.)

La vaca mastica su comida varias veces antes de tragarla. (The cow chews its food several times before swallowing.)

Los deportistas mastican chicle para mantenerse enfocados durante el juego. (Athletes chew gum to stay focused during the game.)

Cuando mastico mucho, me da acidez. (When I chew a lot, I get heartburn.)

Los bebés mastican todo lo que encuentran para aliviar las encías. (Babies chew on everything they find to soothe their gums.)

Cuando mastico menta, mi aliento se refresca. (When I chew mint, my breath freshens.)

Los caballos mastican el pasto lentamente. (Horses chew grass slowly.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Masticar (to chew) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.