-ar verb irregular · spelling-change C1 · Advanced

Conjugate masticar in Spanish

to chew

masticar is an irregular -ar verb ranked #2224 among the most common Spanish verbs. For example: "Hay que masticar bien la comida." (You need to chew food well.). Use the tables below for full conjugation across all 7 tenses.

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⚡ Irregular verb — masticar (spelling-change) does not follow standard -ar patterns. Pay close attention to the stems in each tense.

Describes current actions, habits, and general truths. The most frequently used tense — master it first.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo mastico
masticas
él/ella/Ud. mastica
nosotros masticamos
vosotros masticáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. mastican
Example

Yo mastico todos los días.

I chew every day.

Describes completed past actions with a clear start and end. Key signals: ayer, el lunes pasado, de repente.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo mastiqué *
masticaste
él/ella/Ud. masticó
nosotros masticamos
vosotros masticasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. masticaron
Example

Ayer yo mastiqué.

Yesterday I chew.

Describes habitual past actions, background context, and ongoing states. Key signals: siempre, normalmente, cuando era niño.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo masticaba
masticabas
él/ella/Ud. masticaba
nosotros masticábamos
vosotros masticabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. masticaban
Example

Antes yo masticaba con frecuencia.

Before, I used to chew often.

Describes future events and predictions. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is often preferred for planned events.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo masticaré
masticarás
él/ella/Ud. masticará
nosotros masticaremos
vosotros masticaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. masticarán
Example

Mañana yo masticaré.

Tomorrow I will chew.

Expresses what would happen under certain conditions — equivalent to "would" in English. Also used for polite requests.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo masticaría
masticarías
él/ella/Ud. masticaría
nosotros masticaríamos
vosotros masticaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. masticarían
Example

Si pudiera, yo masticaría.

If I could, I would chew.

Used in clauses expressing wishes, doubt, emotion, or uncertainty — typically after que. Triggers: querer, esperar, dudar, ojalá.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo mastique *
mastiques *
él/ella/Ud. mastique *
nosotros mastiquemos *
vosotros mastiquéis *
ellos/ellas/Uds. mastiquen *
Example

Espero que tú mastiques.

I hope that you chew.

Used to give commands and direct requests. Affirmative and negative forms differ significantly in Spanish.

Pronoun Conjugation
yo -
mastica
él/ella/Ud. mastique *
nosotros mastiquemos *
vosotros masticad
ellos/ellas/Uds. mastiquen *
Example

¡Mastica!

Chew!

Test yourself

Type the correct conjugation for each prompt.

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Example sentences

Common phrases with masticar

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