Lavarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb lavarse means to wash (oneself), and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Lavarse means to wash oneself, and it is the reflexive partner of lavar: you wash a part of your own body, so lavarse las manos, las manos being the thing washed. It is one of the first reflexive verbs learners meet, and it appears in every morning-routine text. Like every Spanish verb, lavarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me lavo las manos antes de comer, and in the preterite you say me lavé con agua y jabón. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: lavarse
  • English: to wash (oneself)
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: lavando
  • Past participle: lavado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + lavado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for lavarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Lavarse takes the body part as a direct object with the definite article: me lavo las manos, never me lavo mis manos.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for lavarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lavo
tú te lavas
él/ella/Ud. se lava
nosotros/as nos lavamos
vosotros/as os laváis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se lavan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lavé
tú te lavaste
él/ella/Ud. se lavó
nosotros/as nos lavamos
vosotros/as os lavasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se lavaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lavaba
tú te lavabas
él/ella/Ud. se lavaba
nosotros/as nos lavábamos
vosotros/as os lavabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se lavaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lavaré
tú te lavarás
él/ella/Ud. se lavará
nosotros/as nos lavaremos
vosotros/as os lavaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se lavarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lavaría
tú te lavarías
él/ella/Ud. se lavaría
nosotros/as nos lavaríamos
vosotros/as os lavaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se lavarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he lavado
tú te has lavado
él/ella/Ud. se ha lavado
nosotros/as nos hemos lavado
vosotros/as os habéis lavado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han lavado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había lavado
tú te habías lavado
él/ella/Ud. se había lavado
nosotros/as nos habíamos lavado
vosotros/as os habíais lavado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían lavado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré lavado
tú te habrás lavado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá lavado
nosotros/as nos habremos lavado
vosotros/as os habréis lavado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán lavado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría lavado
tú te habrías lavado
él/ella/Ud. se habría lavado
nosotros/as nos habríamos lavado
vosotros/as os habríais lavado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían lavado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lave
tú te laves
él/ella/Ud. se lave
nosotros/as nos lavemos
vosotros/as os lavéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se laven

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me lavara
tú te lavaras
él/ella/Ud. se lavara
nosotros/as nos laváramos
vosotros/as os lavarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se lavaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te lava
él/ella/Ud. se lave
nosotros/as nos lavemos
vosotros/as os lavad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se laven

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te laves
él/ella/Ud. se lave
nosotros/as nos lavemos
vosotros/as os lavéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se laven

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund lavando with estar for the progressive: estoy lavando (or me estoy lavando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle lavado with haber for the perfect tenses: he lavado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me lavo las manos antes de comer. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me lavé la cara por la mañana. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me lavaba con agua y jabón. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me lavaré las manos después del jardín. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me lavaría las manos antes de comer si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he lavado la cara por la mañana. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había lavado con agua y jabón antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré lavado las manos después del jardín. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría lavado las manos antes de comer con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se lave la cara por la mañana. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se lavara con agua y jabón, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se lave las manos después del jardín. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For lavarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te laves las manos antes de comer. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with lavarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me lavo las manos antes de comer. — I wash up before eating.
  2. Se lava la cara por la mañana. — He/she washes up in the morning.
  3. Ayer, me lavé con agua y jabón. — Yesterday, I washed up with water and soap.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos lavábamos las manos después del jardín. — Before, we used to wash up after working in the garden.
  5. Mañana, tú te lavarás las manos antes de comer. — Tomorrow, you will wash up before eating.
  6. Yo me lavaría la cara por la mañana si tuviera más tiempo. — I would wash up in the morning if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha lavado con agua y jabón. — He has washed up with water and soap.
  8. Espero que él se lave las manos después del jardín. — I hope he washes up after working in the garden.
  9. Yo ya me había lavado las manos antes de comer antes de salir. — I had already washed up before eating before leaving.
  10. Ellos se lavaban la cara por la mañana cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to wash up in the morning when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo lavo las manos antes de comer. — Right: Yo me lavo las manos antes de comer. — Lavarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo lavo la cara por la mañana. — Right: Ayer yo lavé la cara por la mañana. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: lavo is happening now, while lavé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating lavarse and lavar as identical in every context. — Right: Lavarse means to wash (oneself), while lavar means to wash something, not yourself. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: lavarse fits sentences such as Me lavo las manos antes de comer, while lavar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy lavado la cara por la mañana. — Right: Yo he lavado la cara por la mañana. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he lavado, has lavado, ha lavado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo lavé con agua y jabón todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo lavaba con agua y jabón todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (lavaba), not the preterite. The preterite (lavé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on lavarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las manos antes de comer. (present tense) A. me lavo B. te lavas C. se lava D. nos lavamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la cara por la mañana. (preterite) A. me lavé B. te lavaste C. se lavaron D. se lavó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con agua y jabón. (imperfect) A. te lavabas B. se lavaban C. nos lavábamos D. me lavaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ las manos después del jardín. (future) A. nos lavaremos B. te lavarás C. me lavaré D. se lavará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ las manos antes de comer si pudiera. (conditional) A. me lavaría B. te lavarías C. se lavaría D. se lavarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la cara por la mañana. (present subjunctive) A. me lave B. te laves C. nos lavemos D. se lave

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con agua y jabón, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se lavara B. nos laváramos C. me lavara D. te lavaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ las manos después del jardín. (present perfect) A. se han lavado B. nos hemos lavado C. me he lavado D. te has lavado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ las manos antes de comer. (negative imperative, tú) A. te laves B. se lave C. nos lavemos D. os lavéis

  10. Which is the gerund of lavarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. lavado B. lavo C. lavé D. lavando

Answer key

  1. me lavo — The first-person present of lavarse is me lavo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se lavó — The third-person preterite of lavarse is se lavó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos lavábamos — The nosotros imperfect of lavarse is nos lavábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te lavarás — The second-person future of lavarse is te lavarás.
  5. me lavaría — The first-person conditional of lavarse is me lavaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se lave — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of lavarse is se lave.
  7. me lavara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of lavarse is me lavara.
  8. nos hemos lavado — The nosotros present perfect of lavarse is nos hemos lavado: hemos + lavado.
  9. te laves — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te laves.
  10. lavando — The gerund of lavarse is lavando: estoy lavando. The participle lavado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does lavarse mean in English?

Lavarse means to wash (oneself). It is used in everyday situations such as Me lavo las manos antes de comer. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is lavarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Lavarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me lavo las manos antes de comer and él se lava la cara por la mañana. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between lavarse and lavar?

Lavarse means to wash (oneself), while lavar means to wash something, not yourself. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use lavarse when you mean to wash (oneself), as in Me lavo las manos antes de comer, and use lavar for to wash something, not yourself. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I wash (oneself)” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me lavé la cara por la mañana. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me lavaba con agua y jabón. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he lavado la cara por la mañana.

How do I practise lavarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the lavarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

Related links