The preterite of lavarse is used to express a specific instance of washing yourself in the past. For example, you might say “I washed my hands before dinner,” indicating when the cleaning action was completed.

This is a regular -ar reflexive verb that requires the appropriate reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos) before the conjugated form. The verb follows standard -ar preterite endings after adding the reflexive pronoun.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The Preterite of lavarse indicates completed actions of washing oneself.

Washing: Used for cleaning oneself, for example me lavé la cara (I washed my face).

Cleansing: Describes cleaning up, for example se lavaron las manos (they washed their hands).

Examples

Examples of Lavarse in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Me lavé las manos antes de comer. (I washed my hands before eating.)

¿Te lavaste la cara esta mañana? (Did you wash your face this morning?)

Ella se lavó el pelo ayer. (She washed her hair yesterday.)

Nos lavamos los dientes después del almuerzo. (We brushed our teeth after lunch.)

Los niños se lavaron las manos después de jugar. (The children washed their hands after playing.)

Me lavé la cara con agua fría. (I washed my face with cold water.)

¿Te lavaste bien las manos? (Did you wash your hands well?)

El chef se lavó las manos antes de cocinar. (The chef washed his hands before cooking.)

Nos lavamos el pelo en la peluquería. (We got our hair washed at the salon.)

Los atletas se lavaron después del entrenamiento. (The athletes washed up after training.)

Me lavé los pies después de la playa. (I washed my feet after the beach.)

¿Por qué no te lavaste los dientes? (Why didn’t you brush your teeth?)

Mi hermano se lavó la cara tres veces. (My brother washed his face three times.)

Nos lavamos las manos con jabón. (We washed our hands with soap.)

Ellos se lavaron antes de la cena. (They washed up before dinner.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.