fbpx

Get ‘Cleansed’ Into French Verbs: How To Use The Verb ‘Laver’

Lather Up With The Basics Of The ‘Laver’ Verb

In French, ‘laver’ translates to ‘wash’ or ‘clean’ in English. Just like soap suds, the verb ‘laver’ bubbles up in popular French conversation. It’s a regular verb and it follows the regular verb conjugation pattern, making it easy to deal with!

Rinse and Repeat – The Verb ‘Laver’ In Present Tense

In the present tense, ‘laver’ conjugation follows the same rules as most first-group verbs. Here’s how you ‘laver’ yourself into verb conjugation:

  • Je lave (I wash)
  • Tu laves (You wash)
  • Il/Elle/On lave (He/She/We wash)
  • Nous lavons (We wash)
  • Vous lavez (You wash)
  • Ils/Elles lavent (They wash)

Breaking Down ‘Laver’ In Compound Tenses

Just like washing needs a preconditioner and post-rinse, the ‘laver’ verb has a compound tense. The Past Perfect, or the ‘Passé Composé’, is formed with the auxiliary être or avoir and the past participle lavé(e)(s).

  • J’ai lavé (I have washed)
  • Tu as lavé (You have washed)
  • Il/Elle/On a lavé (He/She/We have washed)
  • Nous avons lavé (We have washed)
  • Vous avez lavé (You have washed)
  • Ils/Elles ont lavé (They have washed)

Don’t forget that the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject when you use être as auxiliary!

Make Clean Puns With The Verb ‘Laver’

Puns are the ‘soap’ of language, help you ‘rinse’ off boredom. Try using ‘laver’ in interesting ways as you converse. Gather some laughs with sentences like, “Je me suis lavé les mains de cette affaire,” which translates to “I have washed my hands of that affair,” implying you are entirely done and have nothing more to do with it!

Immerse Yourself In The Verb ‘Laver’: Imperative

Finally, the imperative of ‘laver’ follows the same forms as the present tense but drops the subject pronoun:

  • Lave (Wash, singular informal)
  • Lavons (Let’s wash)
  • Lavez (Wash, formal or plural)

Now you are all set to ‘wash over’ French conversations with confidence! Keep practicing these conjugations, and you’ll become a fluent ‘bubbler’ in no time.

A Final Rinse: Recap Of The Verb ‘Laver’

Mastering the use and conjugation of the ‘laver’ verb takes practice but cleaning up your language skills provides a ‘squeaky clean’ understanding of French verbs. Remember the key points and infuse a bit of humor with puns to make learning fun and effective!