The Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) of lavarse is used to give direct orders or instructions for someone to wash themselves, for example ¡Lávate las manos antes de comer! (Wash your hands before eating!).

Lavarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in this tense follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish):

Lavarse generally means to wash oneself, but has several different meanings in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands), some of which might surprise you.

To wash oneself: The most common meaning is to clean one’s body, for example, ¡Lávate las manos antes de comer! (Wash your hands before eating!)

To clean something: It can also mean to clean an object or surface, for example, ¡Lávate los dientes después del desayuno! (Brush your teeth after breakfast!)

To cleanse spiritually: In a figurative sense, it can mean to purify or cleanse oneself spiritually or morally, for example, ¡Lávate el alma de todo rencor! (Cleanse your soul of all resentment!)

To clear one’s name (colloquial): Colloquially, it can mean to clear one’s reputation or name from accusations, for example, ¡Lávate la cara, que estás muy sucio! (Clear your name, you’re very dirty/guilty!)

To wash one’s hands of something (idiomatic): Idiomatically, it can mean to absolve oneself of responsibility or involvement, for example, ¡Lávate las manos de ese asunto! (Wash your hands of that matter!)

Examples

Examples of Lavarse in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands)

Antes de comer, lávate las manos. (Before eating, wash your hands.)

Por favor, lávese los dientes después de cada comida. (Please brush your teeth after every meal.)

Niños, lavémonos antes de ir a la cama. (Kids, let’s wash up before going to bed.)

Señores, lávense bien antes de entrar al quirófano. (Gentlemen, wash thoroughly before entering the operating room.)

¡Lávate esa boca con jabón! (¡Wash your mouth out with soap!) [idiomatic expression meaning “Watch your language!”]

Después de trabajar en el jardín, lávense para quitarse la tierra. (After working in the garden, wash up to get the dirt off.)

Antes de viajar, lávate bien para evitar enfermedades. (Before traveling, wash thoroughly to avoid getting sick.)

Mamá dice que lavémonos las manos antes de preparar la comida. (Mom says let’s wash our hands before preparing the food.)

En el spa, lávese con los productos orgánicos. (At the spa, wash with the organic products.)

Después del ejercicio, lávate para refrescarte. (After exercising, wash up to freshen up.)

¡Lávense esas bocas! ¡No toleraré groserías! (Wash those mouths out! I won’t tolerate any profanity!)

Antes de cocinar, lávense muy bien las manos. (Before cooking, wash your hands very thoroughly.)

Para una piel radiante, lávate la cara todas las noches. (For radiant skin, wash your face every night.)

En el trabajo, lávese las manos con frecuencia para evitar la propagación de gérmenes. (At work, wash your hands frequently to avoid spreading germs.)

Después de jugar en el parque, lavémonos antes de comer. (After playing at the park, let’s wash up before eating.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) in the Imperative Mood (Affirmative Commands) tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperative mood is also known as the Command Form, Affirmative Command Mood, or Direct Command Form in English, and as Modo Imperativo, Imperativo Afirmativo, Mandatos Afirmativos, or Forma de Mandato in Spanish.