fregar

Fregar is a Spanish verb meaning to scrub or rub with water and friction. It describes actions such as washing dishes or cleaning surfaces by scrubbing, as well as cleaning floors. In everyday usage, it is commonly applied to objects like los platos (the dishes) or el suelo (the floor). The sense emphasizes the mechanical action of rubbing rather than mere washing.

Etymology: freg- derives from Latin fricare, “to rub, scrub,” passing into Spanish through medieval forms that produced the modern verb fregar and related nouns such as fregadero (sink).

Conjugation and forms: Fregar is a regular -gar verb with a stem change in the present tense. Present indicative: yo frego, tú friegas, él friega, nosotros fregamos, vosotros fregáis, ellos friegan. Preterite: fregué, fregaste, fregó, fregamos, fregasteis, fregaron. Gerund: fregando. Past participle: fregado. Note the spelling change in the yo form and the stem-change pattern in most present forms.

Usage: As a transitive verb, fregas something: fregar los platos (to wash the dishes), fregar el suelo (to scrub the floor), fregar la ropa (to scrub clothes). The verb emphasizes the action of scrubbing rather than a simple wash and can be used in various cleaning contexts where friction with a cleaning agent is involved.

Regional notes and related terms: The meaning is widely understood across Spanish-speaking countries, with similar usage in Spain and Latin America. Related terms include fregadero (sink) and friega (the act or result of scrubbing), which appear in everyday language and compound forms.