Lavar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Lavar in Spanish

Lavar means “to wash” or “to clean with water or another liquid.” You will learn its fully regular -AR conjugation and its object, person, clothing, dish, and pronominal extensions.

Lavar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Regular AR. RAE gives lavo, lavas / lavás, lava, lavamos, laváis, lavan, with regular gerund lavando and participle lavado.

Lavar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber in compound forms. The participle lavado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	lavar	to wash / clean
Gerund	lavando	washing / cleaning
Past participle	lavado	washed / cleaned

Lavar meaning and essential uses

RAE’s core sense is cleaning something with water or another liquid: Lavo la ropa. — “I wash the clothes.” It also allows pronominal use for washing oneself.

The non-pronominal verb commonly takes objects such as clothes, dishes, cars, floors, food, or a person being washed. Lavarse is a separate pronominal pattern used for self-care.

Lavar regular conjugation pattern

The stem lav- remains unchanged throughout the core paradigm. Forms such as lavo, lavé, and lave take ordinary -AR endings.

There is no stem change, spelling alternation, irregular preterite stem, irregular future stem, irregular gerund, or irregular participle.

Lavar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Lavar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavo	I wash / clean
Tú — you, singular informal	lavas	you wash / clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lava	he / she washes / cleans; you wash / clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	lavamos	we wash / clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	laváis	you wash / clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavan	they wash / clean; you wash / clean (plural)

• Lavo la ropa los sábados. — I wash the clothes on Saturdays.

Lavar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavé	I washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	lavaste	you washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lavó	he / she washed / cleaned; you washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	lavamos	we washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavasteis	you washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavaron	they washed / cleaned; you washed / cleaned (plural)

• Ayer lavé el coche. — Yesterday I washed the car.

Lavar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavaba	I used to wash / clean / was washing / cleaning
Tú — you, singular informal	lavabas	you used to wash / clean / were washing / cleaning
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lavaba	he / she used to wash / clean / was washing / cleaning; you used to wash / clean / were washing / cleaning (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	lavábamos	we used to wash / clean / were washing / cleaning
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavabais	you used to wash / clean / were washing / cleaning (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavaban	they used to wash / clean / were washing / cleaning; you used to wash / clean / were washing / cleaning (plural)

• Antes lavábamos los platos a mano. — We used to wash the dishes by hand.

Lavar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus lavando.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy lavando	I am washing / cleaning
Tú — you, singular informal	estás lavando	you are washing / cleaning
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está lavando	he / she is washing / cleaning; you are washing / cleaning (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos lavando	we are washing / cleaning
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis lavando	you are washing / cleaning (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están lavando	they are washing / cleaning; you are washing / cleaning (plural)

• Estoy lavando las verduras. — I am washing the vegetables.

Lavar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir + a + lavar.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a lavar	I am going to wash / clean
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a lavar	you are going to wash / clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a lavar	he / she is going to wash / clean; you are going to wash / clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a lavar	we are going to wash / clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a lavar	you are going to wash / clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a lavar	they are going to wash / clean; you are going to wash / clean (plural)

• Voy a lavar las toallas. — I am going to wash the towels.

Lavar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavaré	I will wash / clean
Tú — you, singular informal	lavarás	you will wash / clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lavará	he / she will wash / clean; you will wash / clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	lavaremos	we will wash / clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavaréis	you will wash / clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavarán	they will wash / clean; you will wash / clean (plural)

• Lavaremos el coche mañana. — We will wash the car tomorrow.

Lavar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavaría	I would wash / clean
Tú — you, singular informal	lavarías	you would wash / clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lavaría	he / she would wash / clean; you would wash / clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	lavaríamos	we would wash / clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavaríais	you would wash / clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavarían	they would wash / clean; you would wash / clean (plural)

• Lavaría esa prenda a mano. — I would wash that garment by hand.

Lavar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he lavado	I have washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	has lavado	you have washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha lavado	he / she has washed / cleaned; you have washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos lavado	we have washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis lavado	you have washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han lavado	they have washed / cleaned; you have washed / cleaned (plural)

• He lavado todos los platos. — I have washed all the dishes.

Lavar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había lavado	I had washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	habías lavado	you had washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había lavado	he / she had washed / cleaned; you had washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos lavado	we had washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais lavado	you had washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían lavado	they had washed / cleaned; you had washed / cleaned (plural)

• Ya habíamos lavado la ropa. — We had already washed the clothes.

Lavar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré lavado	I will have washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás lavado	you will have washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá lavado	he / she will have washed / cleaned; you will have washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos lavado	we will have washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis lavado	you will have washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán lavado	they will have washed / cleaned; you will have washed / cleaned (plural)

• Para entonces habrán lavado todas las ventanas. — By then they will have washed all the windows.

Lavar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría lavado	I would have washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías lavado	you would have washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría lavado	he / she would have washed / cleaned; you would have washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos lavado	we would have washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais lavado	you would have washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían lavado	they would have washed / cleaned; you would have washed / cleaned (plural)

• Habría lavado el suelo antes. — I would have washed the floor earlier.

Lavar subjunctive conjugations

Lavar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lave	that I wash / clean
Tú — you, singular informal	laves	that you wash / clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lave	that he / she wash / clean; that you wash / clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	lavemos	that we wash / clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavéis	that you wash / clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	laven	that they wash / clean; that you wash / clean (plural)

• Quiero que laves las verduras. — I want you to wash the vegetables.

Lavar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavara	that I washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	lavaras	that you washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lavara	that he / she washed / cleaned; that you washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	laváramos	that we washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavarais	that you washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavaran	that they washed / cleaned; that you washed / cleaned (plural)

• Preferían que laváramos el coche juntos. — They preferred that we wash the car together.
• Era mejor que lavases esa prenda por separado. — It was better for you to wash that garment separately.

Lavar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms belong mainly to formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical registers.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	lavare	if / when I should wash / clean
Tú — you, singular informal	lavares	if / when you should wash / clean
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	lavare	if / when he / she should wash / clean; if / when you should wash / clean (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	laváremos	if / when we should wash / clean
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavareis	if / when you should wash / clean (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	lavaren	if / when they should wash / clean; if / when you should wash / clean (plural)

• Quien lavare material delicado deberá seguir las instrucciones. — Whoever should wash delicate material must follow the instructions.

Lavar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya lavado	that I have washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas lavado	that you have washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya lavado	that he / she has washed / cleaned; that you have washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos lavado	that we have washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis lavado	that you have washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan lavado	that they have washed / cleaned; that you have washed / cleaned (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas lavado los platos. — I am glad that you washed the dishes.

Lavar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera lavado	that I had washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras lavado	that you had washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera lavado	that he / she had washed / cleaned; that you had washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos lavado	that we had washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais lavado	that you had washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran lavado	that they had washed / cleaned; that you had washed / cleaned (plural)

• Si hubiera lavado el coche antes, ya estaría seco. — If I had washed the car earlier, it would already be dry.
• Si hubieses lavado la ropa con agua fría, habría encogido menos. — If you had washed the clothes in cold water, they would have shrunk less.

Lavar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber plus invariant lavado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere lavado	if / when I should have washed / cleaned
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres lavado	if / when you should have washed / cleaned
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere lavado	if / when he / she should have washed / cleaned; if / when you should have washed / cleaned (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos lavado	if / when we should have washed / cleaned
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis lavado	if / when you should have washed / cleaned (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren lavado	if / when they should have washed / cleaned; if / when you should have washed / cleaned (plural)

• Si hubieren lavado materiales adicionales, deberán secarlos correctamente. — If they should have washed additional materials, they must dry them correctly.

Lavar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Lavar affirmative commands

Use the regular affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	lava	wash
Usted — you, singular formal	lave	wash (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	lavemos	let’s wash
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	lavad	wash (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	laven	wash (plural)

• Lava las verduras antes de cortarlas. — Wash the vegetables before cutting them.

Lavar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no laves	do not wash
Usted — you, singular formal	no lave	do not wash (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no lavemos	let’s not wash
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no lavéis	do not wash (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no laven	do not wash (plural)

• No laves esa prenda con agua caliente. — Do not wash that garment in hot water.

Common constructions with Lavar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• lavar algo. — to wash / clean something.
• lavar a alguien. — to wash someone; a specific person normally takes personal a.
• lavar con + water / product. — to wash with a liquid or cleaning product.
• lavarse. — to wash oneself; separate pronominal construction.

Example sentences with Lavar

These examples reinforce useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Necesito lavar el coche. — I need to wash the car.
• Lava bien las frutas antes de comerlas. — Wash the fruit well before eating it.
• Han lavado todas las sábanas. — They have washed all the sheets.
• Espero que laves los platos hoy. — I hope you wash the dishes today.
• La camisa se lava a mano. — The shirt is washed by hand.
• Lava primero las prendas claras. — Wash the light-colored clothes first.

Regional and usage notes for Lavar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms where vos is used.

• Vos lavás el coche los domingos. — You wash the car on Sundays. (voseo)
• Lavá las verduras antes de cocinar. — Wash the vegetables before cooking. (affirmative vos command)

Lavar is fully regular. Use it transitively for the thing or person being washed, and keep the pronominal pattern lavarse separate when the subject washes themselves or a body part.