The Present Tense of lavarse is used to describe actions of washing oneself that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Me lavo las manos antes de comer. (I wash my hands before eating.)

Lavarse is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

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

Lavarse generally means to wash oneself or to get washed, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

To wash oneself: for example, Me lavo las manos antes de comer. (I wash my hands before eating.)

To bathe: for example, Me lavo todas las mañanas. (I bathe every morning.)

To clean oneself: for example, Me lavo la cara con agua fría. (I wash my face with cold water.)

To wash one’s hair: for example, Me lavo el pelo dos veces por semana. (I wash my hair twice a week.)

To cleanse oneself (spiritually or metaphorically): for example, Me lavo el alma con buenas acciones. (I cleanse my soul with good deeds.)

To clear one’s name (colloquial): for example, Me lavo las manos de este asunto. (I wash my hands of this matter.)

To get rid of something (colloquial, sometimes rude): for example, Me lavo las manos de esa gente tóxica. (I wash my hands of those toxic people.)

Examples

Examples of Lavarse in the Present Tense

Yo me lavo las manos antes de comer. (I wash my hands before eating.)

¿Te lavas el pelo todas las mañanas? (Do you wash your hair every morning?)

Ella se lava la cara con un limpiador suave. (She washes her face with a gentle cleanser.)

Nosotros nos lavamos los dientes después de cada comida. (We brush our teeth after every meal.)

¿Os laváis las manos con frecuencia? Es importante para prevenir enfermedades. (Do you wash your hands frequently? It’s important to prevent illness.)

Ellos se lavan el carro los domingos por la mañana. (They wash their car on Sunday mornings.)

Antes de salir, siempre me lavo la cara y me lavo los dientes. (Before going out, I always wash my face and brush my teeth.)

¿Con qué frecuencia te lavas el cabello? Yo me lavo el pelo cada dos días. (How often do you wash your hair? I wash my hair every other day.)

Después de trabajar en el jardín, Juan se lava las manos y los brazos. (After working in the garden, Juan washes his hands and arms.)

¿Os laváis las verduras antes de cocinarlas? Es importante limpiarlas bien. (Do you wash your vegetables before cooking them? It’s important to clean them thoroughly.)

Los niños se lavan los pies antes de meterse en la cama. (The children wash their feet before getting into bed.)

Después del gimnasio, me lavo el sudor con una toalla húmeda. (After the gym, I wipe off my sweat with a damp towel.)

¿Te lavas las manos con agua caliente o fría? (Do you wash your hands with hot or cold water?)

María se lava el maquillaje antes de acostarse. (Maria removes her makeup before going to bed.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.