Lavar means 'to wash', and it is a regular -ar verb at home in the chores and daily-routine topics. Lavo los platos (I wash the dishes), lavamos el coche (we washed the car). Its reflexive form lavarse is especially important for describing personal routine: me lavo los dientes (I brush my teeth), se lava la cara (he washes his face). That reflexive use is a reliable way to show control of reflexive verbs at GCSE. As a regular -ar verb the conjugation is straightforward in both forms.
Quick facts
Lavar (to wash) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Lavo los platos (I wash the dishes).
Reflexive lavarse: me lavo los dientes.
A staple of household-jobs answers.
Great for showing control of reflexive verbs.
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
lavar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know lavar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice lavar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: lavo, tú: lavas, él: lava, nosotros: lavamos, vosotros: laváis, ellos: lavan
The past participle is lavado (he lavado) and the gerund is lavando (estoy lavando).
Verbs that are easy to confuse with lavar or that behave like it.
Lavar is on the AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.