Breakdown of Hay que lavarse las manos.
lavarse
to wash oneself
la mano
the hand
hay que
one must, it is necessary to (+ infinitive)
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Questions & Answers about Hay que lavarse las manos.
Why do we use hay que instead of tener que here?
Hay que is an impersonal phrase used to say that people in general need to do something, translating nicely to "one must" or "it is necessary to". If you wanted to say that a specific person must do it, you would use tener que. For example: Tienes que lavarte las manos (You have to wash your hands).
Why is the pronoun se attached to the end of lavar?
When a verb is in its infinitive form (the basic, unconjugated dictionary form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir), you must attach pronouns directly to the end of it. Here, the verb lavar and the reflexive pronoun se combine into a single word: lavarse.
If nobody specific is mentioned in the sentence, why do we use the pronoun se?
With the general, impersonal phrase hay que, reflexive verbs always use the third-person pronoun se. In this context, it acts like the English word "oneself".
Why does the sentence say las manos (the hands) instead of using a possessive word like "your" or "one's" hands?
In Spanish, you generally do not use possessive words (like my, your, or his) for body parts. Instead, you use definite articles like el, la, los, or las. The reflexive pronoun se already makes it clear whose hands are involved.