Quitar

Quitar is a Spanish verb meaning to remove, take away, or take off. It covers removing a physical object from a surface, subtracting a quantity, or depriving someone of something. It is widely used in everyday speech and can be applied in literal and figurative senses across Spanish-speaking regions. The reflexive form quitarse expresses removing something from oneself or getting rid of a habit, condition, or clothing.

Transitive use: quitar typically takes a direct object. Examples include quitar la mesa (to clear the table), quitar el polvo (to remove the dust), and quitarse la ropa (to take off one’s clothes). It can also express subtraction or taking something away from someone, as in quitarle las llaves (to take the keys away from him/her) or quitar cinco litros de una cantidad. In informal contexts, quitar can imply taking something by force or theft, as in quitarle algo a alguien.

Reflexive use and idioms: with se, quitarse conveys removing something from oneself or discarding a habit or nuisance, e.g., me quito las botas, se quita el sombrero, no te quinotes esa idea de la cabeza (colloquial imperative). Common idioms include quitarse de encima (to get something off one’s shoulders) and quitarse el sueño (to stop dreaming or to overcome fatigue).

Conjugation: quitar is a regular -ar verb. Present indicative: quito, quitas, quita, quitamos, quitáis, quitan. Preterite: quité, quitaste, quitó, quitamos, quitasteis, quitaron. Imperfect: quitaba, quitabas, quitaba, quitábamos, quitabais, quitaban. Future: quitaré, quitarás, quitará, quitaremos, quitaréis, quitarán. Conditional: quitaría, quitarías, quitaría, quitaríamos, quitaríais, quitarían. Reflexive forms: me quito, te quitas, se quita, nos quitamos, os quitáis, se quitan. Subjunctive present: quite, quites, quite, quitemos, quitéis, quiten. Imperative: (tú) quita, (usted) quite, (ustedes) quiten (negative forms: no quites, no quite, no quiten).