tvätta

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse þváttr, from Proto-Germanic *þwahtuz, from the root of the verb þvá.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtvɛtːˌa/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

tvätta (present tvättar, preterite tvättade, supine tvättat, imperative tvätta)

1. to wash, to clean (clean with water (or another solvent, and often detergent))

   Han tvättade kläderna

   He washed the clothes

   Hon tvättade händerna

   She washed her hands

   tvätta altanen

   wash the deck

   kemtvätta mattan

   dry clean [chem-wash] the carpet

   1. to launder
2. (reflexive) to wash, to clean (oneself)

   Katter tvättar sig genom att slicka pälsen

   Cats clean themselves by licking their fur

3. to launder (money)

   tvätta pengar

   launder money

Usage notes

"Tvätta" is used in almost all cases where something is cleaned by water (or other solvents, as in dry cleaning) with one exception. One never uses the verb "tvätta" in the context of doing the dishes; use instead "diska" in that context.

Conjugation

Conjugation of tvätta (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	tvätta		tvättas
Supine	tvättat		tvättats
Imperative	tvätta		—
Imper. plural1	tvätten		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	tvättar	tvättade	tvättas	tvättades
Ind. plural1	tvätta	tvättade	tvättas	tvättades
Subjunctive2	tvätte	tvättade	tvättes	tvättades
	Participles
Present participle	tvättande
Past participle	tvättad
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• kemtvätta (“dry clean”)
• handtvätta
• tvättmedel (“detergent”)

Related terms

• tvaga
• tvagning
• två
• tvätt

See also

• diska
• rengöra (“clean”)
• stryka (“iron”)

References

• tvätta in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• tvätta in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• tvätta in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)