How do you say wash your hands in Spanish?

The informal command is lávate las manos, and the formal version is lávese las manos. For a general instruction (like a sign), lávense las manos covers plural audiences.

Why do you say las manos instead of tus manos?

Spanish uses the definite article (las) rather than a possessive adjective (tus) with body parts when a reflexive pronoun already shows ownership. Since lávate includes the reflexive te, adding tus would be grammatically redundant.

How do you conjugate lavar reflexively for hand washing?

In the present tense: me lavo las manos (I wash my hands), te lavas las manos (you wash your hands), se lava las manos (he/she washes hands), nos lavamos las manos (we wash our hands), se lavan las manos (they wash their hands).

Spanish vocabulary · Beginner

Wash Your Hands in Spanish: Lávate Las Manos

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Lávate Las Manos · phrase · LAH-bah-teh lahs MAH-nohs

Wash your hands in Spanish is lávate las manos when speaking informally (tú command), and lávese las manos when using the formal usted form. Notice that Spanish uses the definite article las before manos instead of a possessive adjective — you say 'wash yourself the hands,' not 'wash your hands.' This pattern applies to all body-part actions.

Say LAH-bah-teh lahs MAH-nohs, stressing the first syllable of lávate and the first syllable of manos.

Lávate las manos antes de sentarte a comer.

Wash your hands before sitting down to eat.

Wash Your Hands in Spanish: Quick Reference

Below are the most common Spanish words for wash your hands, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.

Spanish	English	Pronunciation	Region / Register
lávate las manos	wash your hands	LAH-bah-teh lahs MAH-nohs	Default, widely understood
lávese las manos	wash your hands		formal/usted command
lavarse las manos	wash your hands		infinitive form

How Native Speakers Use Lávate Las Manos

Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.

Parent to child

¡Lávate las manos con jabón, no solo con agua!

Wash your hands with soap, not just water!

Lávate is the informal tú imperative, used with children, friends, and family.

Empleados: lávense las manos antes de regresar al trabajo.

Employees: wash your hands before returning to work.

Lávense is the ustedes (plural formal) command, common on public signs.

Health advice

Los médicos recomiendan lavarse las manos durante al menos veinte segundos.

Doctors recommend washing your hands for at least twenty seconds.

The infinitive lavarse las manos is used for general recommendations.

Avoid These Mistakes When Using Lávate Las Manos

Using possessive tus instead of las

Incorrect: Lávate tus manos.

Correct: Lávate las manos.

Spanish uses the reflexive pronoun (te) plus the definite article (las) for body parts. Saying tus manos is redundant because the reflexive already indicates whose hands they are.

Incorrect accent on imperative

Incorrect: Lavate las manos.

Correct: Lávate las manos.

The affirmative tú imperative of lavarse requires a written accent on the á when the reflexive pronoun te is attached: lávate. Without it, the stress falls on the wrong syllable.

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See Lávate Las Manos used by native speakers

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Common Questions About Wash Your Hands in Spanish

How do you say wash your hands in Spanish?: The informal command is lávate las manos, and the formal version is lávese las manos. For a general instruction (like a sign), lávense las manos covers plural audiences.
Why do you say las manos instead of tus manos?: Spanish uses the definite article (las) rather than a possessive adjective (tus) with body parts when a reflexive pronoun already shows ownership. Since lávate includes the reflexive te, adding tus would be grammatically redundant.
How do you conjugate lavar reflexively for hand washing?: In the present tense: me lavo las manos (I wash my hands), te lavas las manos (you wash your hands), se lava las manos (he/she washes hands), nos lavamos las manos (we wash our hands), se lavan las manos (they wash their hands).