The Imperfect Tense of lavarse is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past, for example, Me lavaba las manos antes de comer. (I used to wash my hands before eating.)

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

Conjugations

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

The imperfect tense of lavarse is used to describe actions that were ongoing or repeated in the past.

Routine or habitual actions: For example, De niño, me lavaba las manos antes de comer. (As a child, I used to wash my hands before eating.)

Actions in progress: For example, Cuando llegué, ella se lavaba el pelo. (When I arrived, she was washing her hair.)

Describing past situations: For example, La cocina se lavaba una vez por semana. (The kitchen was cleaned once a week.)

Idiomatic expressions: For example, No me lavo las manos de esto (I won’t wash my hands of this, meaning I won’t avoid responsibility).

Examples

Examples of Lavarse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me lavaba las manos con frecuencia para evitar enfermarme. (I used to wash my hands frequently to avoid getting sick.)

Cuando éramos niños, nos lavábamos en el río durante el verano. (When we were kids, we used to bathe in the river during the summer.)

Antes de la pandemia, se lavaba la ropa a mano en el lavadero público. (Before the pandemic, she used to wash clothes by hand at the public laundry.)

Mi abuela se lavaba el cabello una vez por semana. (My grandmother used to wash her hair once a week.)

Vosotros os lavabais los dientes después de cada comida. (You (plural) used to brush your teeth after every meal.)

Ellos se lavaban la cara con agua fría por las mañanas. (They used to wash their faces with cold water in the mornings.)

Tú te lavabas las manos antes de cocinar, ¿verdad? (You used to wash your hands before cooking, right?)

En la granja, nos lavábamos en el río después de trabajar. (On the farm, we used to bathe in the river after working.)

Ustedes se lavaban el pelo con champú de hierbas naturales. (You (plural) used to wash your hair with natural herbal shampoo.)

Ella se lavaba la cara con un limpiador suave por las noches. (She used to wash her face with a gentle cleanser at night.)

Yo me lavaba los pies antes de acostarme. (I used to wash my feet before going to bed.)

Vosotros os lavabais las manos con jabón antibacterial. (You (plural) used to wash your hands with antibacterial soap.)

Nosotros nos lavábamos en la ducha después del entrenamiento. (We used to shower after practice.)

Ellas se lavaban el cabello con vinagre para darle brillo. (They used to wash their hair with vinegar to make it shine.)

Tú te lavabas la cara con agua tibia por las mañanas. (You used to wash your face with warm water in the mornings.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) 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.