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ITALIAN VERB

lavare

to wash

  • #138 most used
  • Regular -are verb
  • Past participle: lavato
  • Gerund: lavando

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I wash
  2. tu you wash
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she washes
  4. noi we wash
  5. voi you all wash
  6. loro they wash

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I washed
  2. tu you washed
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she washed
  4. noi we washed
  5. voi you all washed
  6. loro they washed

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to wash
  2. tu you used to wash
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to wash
  4. noi we used to wash
  5. voi you all used to wash
  6. loro they used to wash

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will wash
  2. tu you will wash
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will wash
  4. noi we will wash
  5. voi you all will wash
  6. loro they will wash

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would wash
  2. tu you would wash
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would wash
  4. noi we would wash
  5. voi you all would wash
  6. loro they would wash

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I wash
  2. tu (that) you wash
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she wash
  4. noi (that) we wash
  5. voi (that) you all wash
  6. loro (that) they wash

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu wash!
  2. Lei wash! (formal)
  3. noi wash! (let’s)
  4. voi wash! (all of you)

How to use lavare

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Lavo i piatti io, tu asciuga.

    I'll wash the dishes, you dry.

  2. Past

    Ho lavato la macchina domenica mattina.

    I washed the car on Sunday morning.

  3. Imperfect

    Lavavamo i panni a mano, al fiume.

    We used to wash the clothes by hand, in the river.

  4. Future

    Laverò le lenzuola domani con il sole.

    I'll wash the sheets tomorrow while it's sunny.

  5. Conditional

    Laverei la frutta prima di mangiarla.

    I'd wash the fruit before eating it.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Vuole che laviamo i vetri prima di sabato.

    She wants us to wash the windows before Saturday.

  7. Imperative

    Lava l'insalata, io taglio i pomodori.

    Wash the salad, I'll cut the tomatoes.

Good to know

  • Lavare i piatti, lavare i vestiti; for yourself it is lavarsi: mi lavo le mani.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -are verb.