The Subjunctive Mood of Lavarse is used to express situations of uncertainty, desire, emotion, or necessity related to the action of washing oneself or each other. For example, Es importante que te laves las manos antes de comer. (It’s important that you wash your hands before eating.)

Lavarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Present Subjunctive follow the same pattern as other verbs in this category.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Lavarse (to wash oneself) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Lavarse generally means “to wash oneself”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To wash oneself: For example, Es importante que te laves las manos antes de comer. (It’s important that you wash your hands before eating.)

To clean oneself up: For example, Sería bueno que te laves después de trabajar en el jardín. (It would be good if you cleaned yourself up after working in the garden.)

To cleanse oneself (spiritually or emotionally): For example, Para que te sientas mejor, es necesario que te laves el alma de esos pensamientos negativos. (For you to feel better, it’s necessary that you cleanse your soul of those negative thoughts.)

To clear one’s name (of accusations): For example, Para que la gente te crea, es imprescindible que te laves de esas acusaciones. (For people to believe you, it’s essential that you clear your name of those accusations.)

To get rid of something (informal): For example, Sería mejor que te laves de esa gente tóxica. (It would be better if you got rid of those toxic people.)

Examples

Examples of Lavarse in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que te laves las manos antes de comer. (It’s important that you wash your hands before eating.)

El médico recomienda que se lave la herida con agua y jabón. (The doctor recommends that you wash the wound with soap and water.)

Ojalá que nos lavemos el pelo esta noche, ¡está muy grasoso! (I hope we wash our hair tonight, it’s really greasy!)

Es una lástima que se laven los platos a mano en este restaurante. (It’s a shame they wash the dishes by hand at this restaurant.)

Aunque os lavéis las manos con frecuencia, es bueno usar desinfectante de manos también. (Even if you wash your hands frequently, it’s good to use hand sanitizer too.)

El entrenador insistió en que me lave bien después del entrenamiento. (The coach insisted that I wash thoroughly after practice.)

Mamá dice que no importa lo ocupados que estemos, nos lavemos los dientes dos veces al día. (Mom says no matter how busy we are, we should brush our teeth twice a day.)

Antes de viajar, asegúrate de que te laves la ropa interior y empacas suficiente. (Before traveling, make sure you wash your underwear and pack enough.)

Es fundamental que se laven bien las verduras antes de cocinarlas. (It’s essential that they wash the vegetables thoroughly before cooking them.)

Quiero que os lavéis el pelo esta noche para que esté limpio mañana. (I want you all to wash your hair tonight so it’s clean tomorrow.)

La abuela siempre insistía en que me lave detrás de las orejas. (Grandma always insisted that I wash behind my ears.)

Aunque no te guste, es necesario que te laves los pies regularmente. (Whether you like it or not, it’s necessary that you wash your feet regularly.)

Para mantener la higiene, el chef exige que se laven las manos con frecuencia. (To maintain hygiene, the chef demands that they wash their hands frequently.)

Ojalá que os lavéis el carro este fin de semana, está muy sucio. (I hope you all wash the car this weekend, it’s really dirty.)

Es una buena idea que nos lavemos la cara antes de acostarnos. (It’s a good idea that we wash our faces before going to bed.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

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

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.