Introduction

Se laver means “to wash oneself”, and this page covers exactly one thing: se laver in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for se laver, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passé composé, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about se laver in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il se lave les mains tous les jours.” — “He washes his hands every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of se laver exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Se laver in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je lave
tu laves
il/elle lave
nous lavons
vous lavez
ils/elles lavent
Gerund: en lavant · Past participle: lavé
The gerund is en lavant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En me lavant, je commence la journée.” — “While washing myself, I start the day.” The past participle is lavé, which you use with être in the perfect tenses: suis lavé is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present tense is only one part of how se laver is used.
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.

How the present tense of se laver is formed

The present tense of se laver has six forms: je me lave, tu te laves, il se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils se lavent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. 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. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Two things about the present of se laver are worth noticing. First, the nous and vous forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the nous form, and the present subjunctive takes its nous and vous forms from the same stem, so learning lavons and lavez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so lave can mean both “I wash” and “I am washing” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because se laver is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of se laver

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use se laver in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and se laver is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Je me lave les mains à la maison.” — “I wash my hands at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about se laver does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il se lave les mains ce matin.” — “He washes his hands this morning.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with se laver in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nous nous lavons les mains avec Paul.” — “We wash our hands with Paul.”

4. Scheduled future events

French uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu te laves les mains.” — “You wash your hands.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and se laver in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils se lavent les mains tous les jours.” — “They wash their hands every day.”

Present Tense vs Passé Composé: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passé composé, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passé composé describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or toujours, while the passé composé sentences use hier or la semaine dernière. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Il se lave les mains à la maison.” — “He washes his hands at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il s'est lavé les mains la semaine dernière.” — “He has washed his hands last week.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Je me lave les mains ce matin.” — “I wash my hands this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “Je me suis lavé les mains ce matin.” — “I have washed my hands this morning.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Tu te laves les mains avec Paul.” — “You wash your hands with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu t'es lavé les mains avant la fête.” — “You have washed your hands before the party.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

Example sentences: se laver in the present tense

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

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

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je me laves les mains.” Right: “Je me lave les mains tous les jours.” Why: The je form is lave, not laves. laves is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous nous lave les mains.” Right: “Nous nous lavons les mains tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form lavons. lave belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Je me lave les mains hier.” Right: “Je me suis lavé les mains hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé suis lavé for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je lave les mains.” Right: “Je me lave les mains tous les jours.” Why: se laver is reflexive: the pronoun me belongs before the verb. Without it the sentence is incomplete.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

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

    • A) lavons
    • B) lave
    • C) suis lavé
    • D) serai lavé

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

    • A) laves
    • B) lave
    • C) es lavé
    • D) lavent

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

    • A) lave
    • B) lavez
    • C) lavons
    • D) lavât

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

    • A) lavions
    • B) lave
    • C) lavassions
    • D) lavons

  5. What is the vous form of se laver in the Present indicative?

    • A) lavent
    • B) lavez
    • C) laverez
    • D) lave

  6. What is the ils/elles form of se laver in the Present indicative?

    • A) étaient lavé
    • B) lavent
    • C) seraient lavé
    • D) lave

  7. What is the je form of se laver in the Present indicative?

    • A) lave
    • B) laverai
    • C) étais lavé
    • D) lavez

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

    • A) serais lavé
    • B) lavez
    • C) lavasses
    • D) laves

Answer key

  1. B) lave — the je form of se laver in the present indicative is lave. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. 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.
  3. A) lave — the il/elle form of se laver in the present indicative is lave. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. D) lavons — the nous form of se laver in the present indicative is lavons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. B) lavez — the vous form of se laver in the present indicative is lavez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. B) lavent — the ils/elles form of se laver in the present indicative is lavent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. A) lave — the je form of se laver in the present indicative is lave. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. D) 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.

Frequently asked questions

What does se laver mean in English?

se laver means “to wash oneself”. It is a reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of se laver formed?

The six present forms are: je me lave, tu te laves, il se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils se lavent. 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.

When do I use the present instead of the passé composé?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passé composé for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

What are the gerund and past participle of se laver?

The gerund is en lavant and the past participle is lavé.

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