Se laver Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

se laver — to wash oneself — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find se laver 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 se laver conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the se laver present tense page.

Example sentences with se laver

In the present tense

  • “Je me lave les mains tous les jours.” — “I wash my hands every day.”
  • “Tu te laves les mains à la maison.” — “You wash your hands at home.”
  • “Il se lave les mains ce matin.” — “He washes his hands this morning.”
  • “Nous nous lavons les mains avec Paul.” — “We wash our hands with Paul.”
  • “Vous vous lavez les mains.” — “You wash your hands.”
  • “Ils se lavent les mains tous les jours.” — “They wash their hands every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “Je me suis lavé les mains hier.” — “I have washed my hands yesterday.”
  • “Tu t'es lavé les mains la semaine dernière.” — “You have washed your hands last week.”
  • “Il s'est lavé les mains ce matin.” — “He has washed his hands this morning.”
  • “Nous nous sommes lavé les mains avant la fête.” — “We have washed our hands before the party.”
  • “Vous vousêtes lavé les mains.” — “You have washed your hands.”
  • “Ils se sont lavé les mains hier.” — “They have washed their hands yesterday.”

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.

  • “Je me lavais les mains à la maison.” — “I used to wash my hands at home.”
  • “Tu te laveras les mains bientôt.” — “You will wash your hands soon.”
  • “Il se laverait les mains avec Paul.” — “He would wash his hands with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous nous lavions les mains tous les jours.” — “It is important that We wash our hands every day.”
  • “Lave-toi les mains !” — “Wash your hands!”

Se laver in context

Je me lave les mains tous les jours. Tu te laves les mains à la maison. Il se lave les mains ce matin. Nous nous lavons les mains avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de se laver est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — lave, laves, lave, lavons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to wash oneself. Je me suis lavé les mains hier. Tu t'es lavé les mains la semaine dernière. Il s'est lavé les mains ce matin. Nous nous sommes lavé les mains avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de se laver apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to wash oneself — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je se laver les mains.”

✓ Right: “Je me lave les mains tous les jours.”

The infinitive se laver never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form lave.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je me laves les mains.”

✓ Right: “Je me lave les mains tous les jours.”

laves is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is lave — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je me lave les mains hier.”

✓ Right: “Je me suis lavé les mains hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect suis lavé here, not the present lave.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je me lavons les mains.”

✓ Right: “Je me lave les mains tous les jours.”

lavons is the nous form. The je form is lave — the two persons never share a form in the present of se laver.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

    • A) laves
    • B) lave
    • C) laveras
    • D) lavas

  2. What is the je form of se laver in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) es lavé
    • B) suis lavé
    • C) étais lavé
    • D) sommes lavé

  3. What is the il/elle form of se laver in the Imperfect?

    • A) lavaient
    • B) lava
    • C) lavait
    • D) était lavé

  4. What is the nous form of se laver in the Future?

    • A) laveras
    • B) lavâmes
    • C) laverions
    • D) laverons

  5. What is the tu form of se laver in the Conditional?

    • A) laverais
    • B) seras lavé
    • C) laves
    • D) laverions

  6. What is the je form of se laver in the Passé simple?

    • A) lavai
    • B) serais lavé
    • C) laverai
    • D) suis lavé

  7. What is the nous form of se laver in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) lavent
    • B) lavions
    • C) laverons
    • D) serions lavé

  8. What is the gerund of se laver?

    • A) dessinant
    • B) en lavant
    • C) convainquant
    • D) adoptant

  9. What is the past participle of se laver?

    • A) éteint
    • B) contrôlé
    • C) lavé
    • D) conclu

  10. What does se laver mean in English?

  • A) wash
  • B) stop
  • C) remove
  • D) comment

Answer key

  1. A) laves — the tu form of se laver in the present indicative is laves. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) suis lavé — the je form of se laver in the present perfect (passé composé) is suis lavé. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. C) lavait — the il/elle form of se laver in the imperfect is lavait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. D) laverons — the nous form of se laver in the future is laverons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. A) laverais — the tu form of se laver in the conditional is laverais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. A) lavai — the je form of se laver in the passé simple is lavai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. B) lavions — the nous form of se laver in the present subjunctive is lavions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. B) en lavant — the gerund of se laver is en lavant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. C) lavé — the past participle of se laver is lavé; perfect tenses use être + lavé. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) wash — se laver means “to wash” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does se laver mean in English?

se laver means “to wash oneself”. You use it whenever you talk about to wash oneself in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is se laver regular or irregular?

se laver is regular. se laver is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

What are the gerund and past participle of se laver?

The gerund is en lavant and the past participle is lavé. The perfect tenses use être + lavé.

Where can I see the full conjugation of se laver?

On the se laver conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The se laver 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 se laver, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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