despegarlas

Despegarlas is the infinitive despegar with the direct object pronoun las attached, forming a non-finite verb form used to indicate removing or detaching feminine plural items. The las refers to a group of feminine nouns previously mentioned, such as etiquetas, pegatinas, or adhesivos. In context, despegarlas translates roughly as “to peel them off” or “to detach them,” depending on the situation.

Morphology and usage notes: The base verb despegar consists of the prefix des- (indicating reversal or removal) and pegar (to glue or attach). The clitic las is a direct object pronoun. When despegarlas is used with auxiliary verbs or in periphrastic constructions, the pronoun typically attaches to the infinitive: Voy a despegarlas (I am going to peel them off). It can also appear in impersonal or subordinate clauses, such as Debemos despegarlas con cuidado.

Contexts and examples: Despegarlas is common in tasks involving surfaces with stickers, labels, decals, or adhesives. Examples include:

- Voy a despegarlas de la ventana con una espátula.

- Debemos despegarlas cuidadosamente para evitar dañar la etiqueta.

The term is primarily relevant for practical instructions, manuals, or descriptive text about removing items from surfaces.

Relation to despegar: Despegarlas does not refer to the aviation sense of despegar (to take off an aircraft). In that context, otro uso of despegar would be appropriate, whereas despegarlas specifically denotes detaching feminine plural objects. See also despegar, despegue, despegado.