Lavo la piel con agua fría.

I

Breakdown of Lavo la piel con agua fría.

• con: with
• lavar: to wash
• la piel: the skin
• el agua: the water
• frío: cold

Questions & Answers about Lavo la piel con agua fría.

Why is the article la used instead of mi when referring to "skin" in this sentence?

In Spanish, it’s very common to use the definite article (la piel) when talking about body parts, rather than a possessive adjective like mi (my). This is because it’s already clear whose body part you’re talking about from context. Saying Lavo la piel con agua fría implies it’s your own skin, even though you don’t say mi piel.

Why is it fría and not frío?

Agua is a feminine noun in Spanish, even though it starts with a stressed a and takes the masculine article el (e.g., el agua fría). Adjectives referring to agua still follow the feminine form, so it’s fría instead of frío.

Do I need to say yo before lavo?

You don’t need to. Spanish is a pro-drop language, meaning subject pronouns can be dropped because the verb conjugation lavo already indicates yo (I). You can say Yo lavo la piel con agua fría if you want to emphasize that it is you doing the washing, but it’s not required.

Could I say Me lavo la piel instead?

Yes, you can. Me lavo la piel con agua fría would more explicitly emphasize the action on yourself, using the reflexive form. Both Lavo la piel and Me lavo la piel are grammatically correct, but the reflexive form is very common when talking about washing your own body parts.

Is it typical to use con for "with" in this kind of sentence?

Yes, con is the standard preposition for with. Whenever you want to say you’re using some tool, object, or material to perform an action, con is the right choice. So Lavo la piel con agua fría naturally translates to "I wash my skin with cold water."