Breakdown of Dieser Stoff wäscht sich sehr gut.
sehr
very
gut
good / well
dieser
this / that (fem.: diese, neut.: dieses)
waschen
to wash
Questions & Answers about Dieser Stoff wäscht sich sehr gut.
How does this reflexive construction act as an alternative to the passive voice?
By using sich with an active verb (wäscht), we focus on a characteristic of the subject rather than a specific event. Instead of a standard passive describing an action (Der Stoff wird gewaschen), this structure explains how the fabric responds to being washed. It is almost always paired with an adverb like gut, schlecht, or leicht.
Why do we need the reflexive pronoun sich here when the English translation just says 'washes very well'?
In English, some verbs can be used actively to describe a passive characteristic without an object (like 'the car drives well'). German does not allow this flexibility with transitive verbs like waschen. Because waschen requires an object, we must use sich so the fabric grammatically 'washes itself'.
Could I use the regular passive voice and say Dieser Stoff wird sehr gut gewaschen instead?
You could, but it changes the meaning completely. Dieser Stoff wird sehr gut gewaschen describes an actual event where someone is actively washing the fabric right now and doing a good job. The reflexive alternative wäscht sich sehr gut describes a general, permanent property of the material itself.
How would you rewrite this sentence using the sich lassen passive alternative?
You would say Dieser Stoff lässt sich sehr gut waschen. This means roughly the same thing (literally, 'This fabric allows itself to be washed very well') and is another extremely common way to avoid the standard passive voice when describing how easily a task can be done.