Lavare Conjugation in Italian
lavare means “to wash” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 109 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of lavare — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.” — “I wash the dishes.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: lavare
- English: to wash
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: lavando
- Present participle: lavante
- Past participle: lavato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -are verbs; pattern are in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read lavare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about lavare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle lavato. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are lavante and lavato: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for lavare. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | lavo |
| tu | lavi |
| lui/lei | lava |
| noi | laviamo |
| voi | lavate |
| loro | lavano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.” — “I wash the dishes”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | lavai |
| tu | lavasti |
| lui/lei | lavò |
| noi | lavammo |
| voi | lavaste |
| loro | lavarono |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Io lavai i piatti ieri.” — “I washed the dishes”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | lavavo |
| tu | lavavi |
| lui/lei | lavava |
| noi | lavavamo |
| voi | lavavate |
| loro | lavavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io lavavo i piatti una volta.” — “I used to wash the dishes”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | laverò |
| tu | laverai |
| lui/lei | laverà |
| noi | laveremo |
| voi | laverete |
| loro | laveranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io laverò i piatti domani.” — “I will wash the dishes”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | laverei |
| tu | laveresti |
| lui/lei | laverebbe |
| noi | laveremmo |
| voi | lavereste |
| loro | laverebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io laverei i piatti un giorno.” — “I would wash the dishes”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho lavato |
| tu | hai lavato |
| lui/lei | ha lavato |
| noi | abbiamo lavato |
| voi | avete lavato |
| loro | hanno lavato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “He has washed the dishes”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo lavato |
| tu | avevi lavato |
| lui/lei | aveva lavato |
| noi | avevamo lavato |
| voi | avevate lavato |
| loro | avevano lavato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo lavato i piatti prima della festa.” — “I had washed the dishes”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò lavato |
| tu | avrai lavato |
| lui/lei | avrà lavato |
| noi | avremo lavato |
| voi | avrete lavato |
| loro | avranno lavato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò lavato i piatti per domani.” — “I will have washed the dishes”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei lavato |
| tu | avresti lavato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe lavato |
| noi | avremmo lavato |
| voi | avreste lavato |
| loro | avrebbero lavato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei lavato i piatti ieri.” — “I would have washed the dishes”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | lavi |
| tu | lavi |
| lui/lei | lavi |
| noi | laviamo |
| voi | laviate |
| loro | lavino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io lavi i piatti.” — “It is important that I wash the dishes”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | lavassi |
| tu | lavassi |
| lui/lei | lavasse |
| noi | lavassimo |
| voi | lavaste |
| loro | lavassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io lavassi i piatti.” — “It was important that I wash the dishes”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | lava |
| lui/lei | lavi |
| noi | laviamo |
| voi | lavate |
| loro | lavino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Lava i piatti!” — “Wash the dishes!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | lavare |
| lui/lei | lavi |
| noi | laviamo |
| voi | laviate |
| loro | lavino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non lavare i piatti.” — “Do not wash the dishes.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | lavando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Lavando i piatti, imparo molto.” — “While washing the dishes, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | lavante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle lavante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | lavato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “I have washed the dishes.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with lavare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.” — “I wash the dishes”
- “Tu lavasti i piatti ieri.” — “You washed the dishes”
- “Lui lavava i piatti una volta.” — “He used to wash the dishes”
- “Io laverò i piatti domani.” — “I will wash the dishes”
- “Tu laveresti i piatti un giorno.” — “You would wash the dishes”
- “Lui ha lavato i piatti questa settimana.” — “He has washed the dishes”
- “Io avevo lavato i piatti prima della festa.” — “I had washed the dishes”
- “Tu avrai lavato i piatti per domani.” — “You will have washed the dishes”
- “È importante che io lavi i piatti.” — “It is important that I wash the dishes”
- “Lava i piatti!” — “Wash the dishes!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io lavi i piatti.”
✓ Right: “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.”
lavi is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with lavo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io lavo i piatti ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho lavato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono lavato i piatti.”
✓ Right: “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of lavare is formed with avere plus the past participle lavato: the io form is ho lavato. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io lavo i piatti.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io lavi i piatti.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use lavi here, not the indicative lavo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho lavando i piatti.”
✓ Right: “Io ho lavato i piatti questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle lavato, not the gerund lavando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on lavare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of lavare in the Present indicative?
- A) lavi
- B) lavo
- C) lava
- D) laviamo
What is the lui/lei form of lavare in the Passato remoto?
- A) lavai
- B) lavasti
- C) lavò
- D) lavammo
What is the noi form of lavare in the Imperfect?
- A) lavavo
- B) lavavi
- C) lavava
- D) lavavamo
What is the tu form of lavare in the Future?
- A) laverai
- B) laverò
- C) laverà
- D) laveremo
What is the io form of lavare in the Conditional?
- A) laveresti
- B) laverei
- C) laverebbe
- D) laveremmo
What is the lui/lei form of lavare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho lavato
- B) hai lavato
- C) ha lavato
- D) abbiamo lavato
What is the lui/lei form of lavare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) laviamo
- B) laviate
- C) lavino
- D) lavi
What is the io form of lavare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) lavassi
- B) lavasse
- C) lavassimo
- D) lavaste
What is the gerund of lavare?
- A) lavato
- B) lavando
- C) lavare
- D) lavo
What does lavare mean in English?
- A) to explain
- B) to answer
- C) to wash
- D) to ask
Answer key
- B) lavo — the correct form is lavo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) lavò — the correct form is lavò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) lavavamo — the correct form is lavavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) laverai — the correct form is laverai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) laverei — the correct form is laverei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha lavato — the correct form is ha lavato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) lavi — the correct form is lavi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) lavassi — the correct form is lavassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) lavando — the correct form is lavando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is lavare regular or irregular?
lavare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is lavando and the past participle is lavato.
What are the gerund and past participle of lavare?
The gerund is lavando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is lavato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho lavato.
Which auxiliary does lavare take in the passato prossimo?
lavare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho lavato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle lavato.
How do I say “I wash” in Italian?
Say “Io lavo i piatti ogni giorno.” — “I wash the dishes” The io form of the present is lavo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of lavare — every tense of lavare in one place.
- Lavare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Lavare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Spiegare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Domandare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise lavare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise lavare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise lavare with the interactive tool.