The Present Tense of Masticar is used to describe an action that is happening right now or that occurs 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 (Latin American 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 lentamente la comida. (I chew the food slowly.)

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

Slang meaning: To speak or pronounce words in an exaggerated or overly clear way, often mocking someone, for example, Él mastica las palabras cuando habla con extranjeros. (He overpronounces words when speaking to foreigners.)

Rude meaning: To insult or criticize someone harshly, for example, No me mastica tanto, solo fue un error. (Don’t chew me out so much, it was just 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? Disfruta tu comida. (Why are you chewing so fast? Enjoy your food.)

Mi abuela mastica muy despacio porque no tiene dientes. (My grandma chews very slowly because she has no teeth.)

Nosotros masticamos la carne bien antes de tragarla. (We chew the meat well before swallowing it.)

Los niños mastican chicles de colores en la escuela. (The kids chew colored gum at school.)

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 mal hábito. (Why do you chew your nails? It’s a bad habit.)

Ella mastica hielo todo el día, no es saludable. (She chews ice all day, it’s not healthy.)

Nosotros masticamos muy bien los alimentos para una buena digestión. (We chew our food very well for good digestion.)

Los caballos mastican el heno lentamente. (Horses chew hay slowly.)

Cuando mastico mucho chicle, se me pega en los dientes. (When I chew a lot of gum, it gets stuck in my teeth.)

¿Por qué masticas tanto? ¡Pareces una vaca rumiando! (Why do you chew so much? You look like a ruminating cow!)

Ella mastica las palabras y es difícil entenderla. (She mumbles words and it’s hard to understand her.)

Los bebés mastican sus juguetes cuando les están saliendo los dientes. (Babies chew on their toys when they are teething.)

Yo mastico mucha goma de mascar, es un mal hábito. (I chew a lot of gum, it’s a bad habit.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.