lavar Imperfect Conjugation
lavar — to wash
The imperfect of lavar is regular: lavaba, lavabas, lavaba, lavábamos, lavabais, lavaban.
lavar Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to talk about washing habits in the past or to describe a scene where someone was washing something when something else happened.
Notes on lavar in the Imperfect
Lavar is fully regular in the imperfect, following the standard -aba endings for -ar verbs.
Example Sentences
De niño, yo siempre lavaba el coche con mi padre.
As a child, I always used to wash the car with my father.
yo
Mi abuela lavaba la ropa a mano.
My grandmother used to wash clothes by hand.
él/ella/usted
Mientras nosotros lavábamos los platos, ellos miraban la tele.
While we were washing the dishes, they were watching TV.
nosotros
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Forgetting the accent on the nosotros form (lavabamos).
Correct: lavábamos
Why: All -ar verbs in the imperfect require an accent on the 'a' in the nosotros form to maintain the stress pattern.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: lavo
The present of lavar is regular: lavo, lavas, lava, lavamos, laváis, lavan.
Preterite
yo: lavé
The preterite of lavar is regular: lavé, lavaste, lavó, lavamos, lavasteis, lavaron.
Future
yo: lavaré
The future of lavar is regular: lavaré, lavarás, lavará, lavaremos, lavaréis, lavarán.
Conditional
yo: lavaría
The conditional of lavar is regular: lavaría, lavarías, lavaría, lavaríamos, lavaríais, lavarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: lave
The present subjunctive of lavar is regular: lave, laves, lave, lavemos, lavéis, laven.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: lavara
The imperfect subjunctive of lavar is regular: lavara, lavaras, lavara, laváramos, lavarais, lavaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: lava
The affirmative imperative of lavar is: lava (tú), lave (usted), lavemos (nosotros), lavad (vosotros), laven (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: no laves
The negative imperative of lavar uses the present subjunctive: no laves, no lave, no lavemos, no lavéis, no laven.