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 washed the dishes every night.)

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

Conjugations

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

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

Washing or cleaning something regularly: Por ejemplo, cuando era niño, lavaba los platos después de cada comida. (For example, when I was a child, I washed the dishes after every meal.)

Describing an action in progress: Por ejemplo, mi hermana lavaba su ropa mientras yo hacía la cena. (For example, my sister was washing her clothes while I made dinner.)

Expressing a past habit or routine: Por ejemplo, antes, lavábamos el carro cada fin de semana. (For example, we used to wash the car every weekend.)

Describing physical or emotional states in the past: Por ejemplo, me lavaba las manos porque estaba muy nervioso. (For example, I was washing my hands because I was very nervous.)

Slang/Idiomatic usage: Por ejemplo, ¿Qué onda? ¿Lavabas tu ropa interior o qué? (What’s up? Were you washing your underwear or what? – implying someone took a long time doing something)

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.)

Nosotros lavábamos el carro cada fin de semana. (We washed the car every weekend.)

¿Lavabas tus jeans en la lavadora o a mano? (Did you wash your jeans in the washing machine or by hand?)

Ellos lavaban la loza con mucho cuidado. (They washed the dishes very carefully.)

Mi mamá lavaba las ventanas una vez al mes. (My mom washed the windows once a month.)

Antes, lavábamos la ropa con un lavadero de piedra. (Before, we washed clothes with a stone washbasin.)

¿Por qué lavabas tu carro tan seguido? (Why did you wash your car so often?)

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

Mis abuelos lavaban la ropa a mano en el río. (My grandparents washed clothes by hand in the river.)

En la lavandería, lavaban la ropa con máquinas industriales. (At the laundromat, they washed clothes with industrial machines.)

¿Lavabas los trastes después de cada comida? (Did you wash the dishes after every meal?)

Ella lavaba su cabello dos veces por semana. (She washed her hair twice a week.)

Nosotros lavábamos los pisos con trapeador y jabón. (We washed the floors with a mop and soap.)

¿Ustedes lavaban su ropa con detergente líquido o en polvo? (Did you wash your clothes with liquid or powder detergent?)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.