Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Lavarse in Spanish
lavarse to wash (oneself) Regular AR Verb
At a glance: Lavarse (to wash (oneself)) is a widely used reflexive regular -AR verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: me lavo, te lavas, se lava, nos lavamos, os laváis, se lavan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- lavado washed
- Gerund
- lavando washing
- Similar
- bañarse
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Lavarse
- Lavarse in the Indicative Present
- Lavarse in the Indicative Preterite
- Lavarse in the Indicative Imperfect
- Lavarse in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Lavarse in the Indicative Informal Future
- Lavarse in the Indicative Future
- Lavarse in the Indicative Conditional
- Lavarse in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Lavarse in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Lavarse in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Lavarse in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Lavarse
- Imperative tenses of Lavarse
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Lavarse conjugations (free mobile app)
Lavarse conjugation tables as a PDF
A printable two-page cheat sheet, sent to your inbox.
Indicative tenses of Lavarse
Lavarse in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of lavarse is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “me lavo”, meaning “I wash”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavo | I wash |
| Tú | te lavas | you wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lava | s/he washes |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos lavamos | we wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os laváis | you (plural) wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavan | they wash |
How it’s built: Regular: stem lav- plus the -ar endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of lavarse is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “me lavé”, meaning “I washed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavé | I washed |
| Tú | te lavaste | you washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lavó | s/he washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos lavamos | we washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavasteis | you (plural) washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavaron | they washed |
How it’s built: Regular: stem lav- plus the -ar endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of lavarse is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “me lavaba”, meaning “I used to wash”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavaba | I used to wash |
| Tú | te lavabas | you used to wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lavaba | s/he used to wash |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos lavábamos | we used to wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavabais | you (plural) used to wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavaban | they used to wash |
How it’s built: Regular: stem lav- plus the -ar endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of lavarse is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “me estoy lavando”, meaning “I am washing”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me estoy lavando | I am washing |
| Tú | te estás lavando | you are washing |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se está lavando | s/he is washing |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos estamos lavando | we are washing |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os estáis lavando | you (plural) are washing |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se están lavando | they are washing |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund lavando. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of lavarse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “me voy a lavar”, meaning “I am going to wash”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me voy a lavar | I am going to wash |
| Tú | te vas a lavar | you are going to wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se va a lavar | s/he is going to wash |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos vamos a lavar | we are going to wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os vais a lavar | you (plural) are going to wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se van a lavar | they are going to wash |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive lavar. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of lavarse is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “me lavaré”, meaning “I will wash”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavaré | I will wash |
| Tú | te lavarás | you will wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lavará | s/he will wash |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos lavaremos | we will wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavaréis | you (plural) will wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavarán | they will wash |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive lavar plus the future endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of lavarse is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “me lavaría”, meaning “I would wash”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavaría | I would wash |
| Tú | te lavarías | you would wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lavaría | s/he would wash |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos lavaríamos | we would wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavaríais | you (plural) would wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavarían | they would wash |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive lavar plus the conditional endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of lavarse is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “me he lavado”, meaning “I have washed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me he lavado | I have washed |
| Tú | te has lavado | you have washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se ha lavado | s/he has washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hemos lavado | we have washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habéis lavado | you (plural) have washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se han lavado | they have washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of lavarse is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “me había lavado”, meaning “I had washed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me había lavado | I had washed |
| Tú | te habías lavado | you had washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se había lavado | s/he had washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habíamos lavado | we had washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habíais lavado | you (plural) had washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habían lavado | they had washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of lavarse is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “me habré lavado”, meaning “I will have washed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habré lavado | I will have washed |
| Tú | te habrás lavado | you will have washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habrá lavado | s/he will have washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habremos lavado | we will have washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habréis lavado | you (plural) will have washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrán lavado | they will have washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of lavarse is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “me habría lavado”, meaning “I would have washed”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me habría lavado | I would have washed |
| Tú | te habrías lavado | you would have washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se habría lavado | s/he would have washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos habríamos lavado | we would have washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os habríais lavado | you (plural) would have washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se habrían lavado | they would have washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Subjunctive tenses of Lavarse
Lavarse in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “me lave”, meaning “I wash”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lave | I wash |
| Tú | te laves | you wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lave | s/he washes |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos lavemos | we wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavéis | you (plural) wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se laven | they wash |
How it’s built: Regular: stem lav- plus the -ar subjunctive endings. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “me lavara”, meaning “I washed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavara | I washed |
| Tú | te lavaras | you washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lavara | s/he washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos laváramos | we washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavarais | you (plural) washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavaran | they washed |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, lavaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (laváramos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “me lavare”, meaning “I will wash”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me lavare | I will wash |
| Tú | te lavares | you will wash |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se lavare | s/he will wash |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos laváremos | we will wash |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os lavareis | you (plural) will wash |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se lavaren | they will wash |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, lavaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (laváremos). The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “me haya lavado”, meaning “I have washed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me haya lavado | I have washed |
| Tú | te hayas lavado | you have washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se haya lavado | s/he has washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hayamos lavado | we have washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hayáis lavado | you (plural) have washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hayan lavado | they have washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “me hubiera lavado”, meaning “I had washed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiera lavado | I had washed |
| Tú | te hubieras lavado | you had washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiera lavado | s/he had washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéramos lavado | we had washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubierais lavado | you (plural) had washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieran lavado | they had washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Lavarse in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “me hubiere lavado”, meaning “I will have washed”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | me hubiere lavado | I will have washed |
| Tú | te hubieres lavado | you will have washed |
| Ella / Él / Usted | se hubiere lavado | s/he will have washed |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | nos hubiéremos lavado | we will have washed |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | os hubiereis lavado | you (plural) will have washed |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | se hubieren lavado | they will have washed |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle lavado. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) goes in front.
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Imperative tenses of Lavarse
Lavarse in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “lávese”, meaning “(to you formal) wash!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | lávate | (to you) wash! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | lávese | (to you formal) wash! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | lavémonos | let's wash! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | lavaos | (to you plural) wash! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | lávense | (to you plural formal) wash! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present and attaches te (lávate); usted and ustedes take the subjunctive present and attach se (lávese, lávense); nosotros takes the subjunctive present, drops the s and attaches nos (lavémonos); vosotros drops the final r of the infinitive and attaches os (lavaos).
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Lavarse in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no se lave”, meaning “(to you formal) don't wash!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no te laves | (to you) don't wash! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no se lave | (to you formal) don't wash! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no nos lavemos | let's not wash! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no os lavéis | (to you plural) don't wash! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no se laven | (to you plural formal) don't wash! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no te laves, no se lave, no nos lavemos, no os lavéis, no se laven.
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Frequently asked questions about Lavarse
Is lavarse a regular or irregular verb?
Lavarse is a fully regular -AR reflexive verb. It follows the standard -AR conjugation pattern in every tense and mood without any stem changes, spelling changes, or irregular forms. This makes it a model verb for learning the -AR conjugation system.
How do you conjugate lavarse in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), lavarse is conjugated as: yo me lavo, tú te lavas, él/ella/usted se lava, nosotros nos lavamos, vosotros os laváis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se lavan. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
How do you conjugate lavarse in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), lavarse is conjugated as: yo me lavé, tú te lavaste, él/ella/usted se lavó, nosotros nos lavamos, vosotros os lavasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se lavaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate lavarse in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), lavarse is conjugated as: yo me lavaba, tú te lavabas, él/ella/usted se lavaba, nosotros nos lavábamos, vosotros os lavabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes se lavaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate lavarse in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), lavarse is conjugated as: yo me lavaré, tú te lavarás, él/ella/usted se lavará, nosotros nos lavaremos, vosotros os lavaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se lavarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate lavarse in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), lavarse is conjugated as: yo me lave, tú te laves, él/ella/usted se lave, nosotros nos lavemos, vosotros os lavéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes se laven. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
What’s the difference between lavar and lavarse?
Lavar means ‘to wash’ and lavarse means ‘to wash (oneself)’. Lavarse is the reflexive form of lavar, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun – me, te, se, nos, os or se – that matches the subject. The verb itself is conjugated the same way: in the present tense, yo lavo becomes me lavo. In the affirmative tú imperative the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb, so lava becomes lávate.
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Lavarse Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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