The Imperfect Tense of lavar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo lavaba los platos todas las noches. (I used to wash the dishes every night.)

Lavar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Lavar (to wash) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of lavar is used to describe ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past.

Describing an ongoing action in the past: For example, Yo lavaba los platos mientras mi hermana secaba. (I was washing the dishes while my sister dried them.)

Describing a repeated or habitual action in the past: For example, De niño, lavaba el coche de mi padre todos los sábados. (As a child, I used to wash my father’s car every Saturday.)

Describing a past action that was interrupted: For example, Lavaba la ropa cuando se fue la luz. (I was washing the clothes when the power went out.)

Describing a past action in progress at a specific time: For example, A las tres de la tarde, lavaba la cocina. (At three in the afternoon, I was cleaning the kitchen.)

Describing a past action that was a habit or routine: For example, Antes, lavaba mi coche todos los domingos. (Before, I used to wash my car every Sunday.)

Colloquial usage: In some regions, lavar can be used idiomatically to mean “to criticize or insult someone severely.” For example, Mi jefe me lavó delante de todos. (My boss gave me a severe dressing-down in front of everyone.)

Examples

Examples of Lavar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo lavaba los platos después de cada comida. (I washed the dishes after every meal.)

Ella lavaba su ropa a mano los domingos. (She washed her clothes by hand on Sundays.)

¿Lavabas el carro tú mismo? (Did you wash the car yourself?)

Nosotros lavábamos las ventanas cada primavera. (We washed the windows every spring.)

Ustedes lavaban los baños semanalmente, ¿verdad? (You washed the bathrooms weekly, right?)

Vosotros lavabais la loza después de las fiestas. (You washed the dishes after parties.)

Mis abuelos lavaban la ropa a mano cuando eran jóvenes. (My grandparents washed clothes by hand when they were young.)

En la peluquería, lavaban el cabello antes de cortarlo. (At the hair salon, they washed hair before cutting it.)

¿Por qué lavabas los zapatos tan seguido? (Why did you wash your shoes so often?)

Ellos lavaban el auto los sábados por la mañana. (They washed the car on Saturday mornings.)

Cuando era niño, lavaba mi bicicleta cada semana. (When I was a child, I washed my bike every week.)

En el restaurante, los meseros lavaban las mesas después de cada servicio. (At the restaurant, the waiters washed the tables after each service.)

Mamá lavaba las cortinas una vez al mes. (Mom washed the curtains once a month.)

¿Lavabais los platos a mano o en el lavavajillas? (Did you wash the dishes by hand or in the dishwasher?)

Antes, lavábamos la ropa con un lavadero y una pila. (Before, we washed clothes with a washbasin and a bucket.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Lavar (to wash) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.