Lavare Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

lavare — to wash — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb for washing dishes, clothes or a car, and it is completely regular in every tense. Its reflexive partner lavarsi means to wash oneself, and the two verbs share the same stem and the same endings. On this page you will find lavare in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the lavare conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the lavare present tense page.

Example sentences with lavare

In the present tense

  • “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.” — “I wash the dishes”
  • “Tu lavi i piatti ogni giorno.” — “You wash the dishes”
  • “Lui lava i piatti ogni giorno.” — “He washes the dishes”
  • “Noi laviamo i piatti ogni giorno.” — “We wash the dishes”
  • “Voi lavate i piatti ogni giorno.” — “You wash the dishes”
  • “Loro lavano i piatti ogni giorno.” — “They wash the dishes”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “I have washed the dishes”
  • “Tu hai lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “You have washed the dishes”
  • “Lui ha lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “He has washed the dishes”
  • “Noi abbiamo lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “We have washed the dishes”
  • “Voi avete lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “You have washed the dishes”
  • “Loro hanno lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “They have washed the dishes”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Io lavavo i piatti una volta.” — “I used to wash the dishes”
  • “Tu laverai i piatti domani.” — “You will wash the dishes”
  • “Lui laverebbe i piatti un giorno.” — “He would wash the dishes”
  • “È importante che noi laviamo i piatti.” — “It is important that we wash the dishes”
  • “Lava i piatti!” — “Wash the dishes!”

How lavare is used

The first thing to know about lavare is its core meaning: to wash. It is the verb for washing dishes, clothes or a car, and it is completely regular in every tense. Its reflexive partner lavarsi means to wash oneself, and the two verbs share the same stem and the same endings. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the passato prossimo, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company lavare keeps. The present io form is lavo, and it pairs naturally with the time words ogni giorno and sempre for habits, and with adesso for what is happening right now. The passato prossimo io form is ho lavato, and it pairs with ieri and questa settimana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what lavare does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need lavo, never lavare. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho lavato, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle lavato is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Lavare in context

Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno. Tu lavi i piatti ogni giorno. Lui lava i piatti ogni giorno. Noi laviamo i piatti ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of lavare is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — lavo, lavi, lava, laviamo — while the meaning stays the same: to wash. Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana. Tu hai lavato i piatti questa settimana. Lui ha lavato i piatti questa settimana. Noi abbiamo lavato i piatti questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of lavare appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to wash — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Io lavare i piatti.”

✓ Right: “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.”

The infinitive lavare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form lavo.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io lavi i piatti.”

✓ Right: “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.”

lavi is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is lavo — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io lavo i piatti ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho lavato here, not the present lavo.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono lavato i piatti.”

✓ Right: “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.”

lavare takes avere in the passato prossimo. The io form is ho lavato — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on lavare across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of lavare in the Present indicative?

    • A) lavo
    • B) lavi
    • C) lava
    • D) laviamo

  2. What is the io form of lavare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai lavato
    • B) ha lavato
    • C) ho lavato
    • D) abbiamo lavato

  3. What is the lui/lei form of lavare in the Imperfect?

    • A) lavavo
    • B) lavavi
    • C) lavavamo
    • D) lavava

  4. What is the noi form of lavare in the Future?

    • A) laveremo
    • B) laverò
    • C) laverai
    • D) laverà

  5. What is the tu form of lavare in the Conditional?

    • A) laverei
    • B) laveresti
    • C) laverebbe
    • D) laveremmo

  6. What is the io form of lavare in the Passato remoto?

    • A) lavasti
    • B) lavò
    • C) lavai
    • D) lavammo

  7. What is the noi form of lavare in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) lavi
    • B) laviate
    • C) lavino
    • D) laviamo

  8. What is the gerund of lavare?

    • A) lavando
    • B) lavato
    • C) lavare
    • D) lavo

  9. What is the past participle of lavare?

    • A) lavando
    • B) lavato
    • C) lavare
    • D) lavo

  10. What does lavare mean in English?

  • A) to explain
  • B) to answer
  • C) to wash
  • D) to ask

Answer key

  1. B) lavi — the correct form is lavi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho lavato — the correct form is ho lavato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) lavava — the correct form is lavava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) laveremo — the correct form is laveremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) laveresti — the correct form is laveresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) lavai — the correct form is lavai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) laviamo — the correct form is laviamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) lavando — the correct form is lavando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) lavato — the correct form is lavato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to wash — the correct form is to wash. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does lavare mean in English?

lavare means “to wash”. You use it whenever you talk about to wash in Italian, in the present, the past and the future.

Is lavare regular or irregular?

lavare is regular. lavare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of lavare?

The gerund is lavando and the past participle is lavato. The perfect tenses use avere + lavato.

Where can I see the full conjugation of lavare?

On the lavare conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The lavare present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for lavare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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