The verb lavar can be more directly translated to the English verb "to wash," but it is frequently used in many contexts where the verb "to clean" would be interchangeable in English.Lavar is a regular -ar verb, conjugated by removing the -ar ending from the verb stem and replacing it with the appropriate ending depending on the subject of the sentence and the verb tense you want to use.
 The literal English translation of the Spanish verb lavar in present tense is used to mean both "wash" and "am/is/are washing." There is no helper verb to distinguish progressive action, but your reader or listener will understand your meaning from the context of your sentence.To say "I wash the car," you would say "lavo el auto." (In Spain, use the word "coche" for "car.") To say "you wash the car," you would say "lavas el auto" (familiar) or "lava el auto" (formal). You also would say "lava el auto" to say "he or she washed the car."
To say "we wash the car," you would say "lavamos el auto." To say "they wash the car" or "you all wash the car," you would say "lavan el auto."

, Using the past tense of lavar means you washed something. For the past tense to be correct, the action must have started and ended completely at some point in the past.To say "I washed the car," you would say "lavé el auto." To say "you wash the car," you would say "lavaste el auto" (familiar) or "lavó el auto" (formal). "Lavó el auto" is also used to say "he or she washed the car." Your reader or listener will understand which you mean by the context and the rest of your sentence.
To say "we washed the car," you would say "lavamos el auto." To say "they washed the car" or "you all washed the car," you would say "lavaron el auto."

, Similarly to English, the future tense conjugation of the verb lavar in Spanish means "will wash." Unlike English, the Spanish language doesn't use a helper verb with the future tense.To say "I will wash the car," you would say "lavaré el auto." To say "you will wash the car" you would say "lavarás el auto" (familiar) or "lavará el auto" (formal). "Lavará el auto" also is used to say "he or she will wash the car."
To say "we will wash the car," you would say "lavaremos el auto." To say "they will wash the car" or "you all will wash the car," you would say "lavarán el auto."

, If you want to say that you are washing yourself, the verb is conjugated somewhat differently than if you are washing some other object. You also must include a pronoun to match the subject.The reflexive pronouns in Spanish are me (myself), te (yourself), se (himself, herself, yourself), nos (ourselves), os (yourselves), and se (themselves, yourselves).
To say "I wash myself," you would say "yo me lavo." To say "you wash yourself," you would say "tú te lavas" (familiar) or "usted se lava" (formal). To say "he/she washes him/herself," you would also say "él/ella se lava."
To say "we wash ourselves," you would say "nosotros/as nos lavamos." To say "they wash themselves" or "you all wash themselves," you would say "ellos/as se lavan."
Understand the infinitive form of lavar.
Use lavar in the present tense.
Say lavar in the past tense.
Understand how to conjugate lavar in the future tense.
Learn the reflexive verb lavarse.
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