Inklingo

How to Say "you remove" in Spanish

English → Spanish

sacas

SAH-kas/ˈsa.kas/

VerbA1Informal
Use 'sacas' when you are taking something out of a place or getting rid of it, like trash or an item from a bag.
A person's hand reaching into a brightly colored wooden box and pulling out a red apple.

Examples

¿Por qué sacas la basura tan tarde?

Why are you taking out the trash so late?

Siempre sacas el móvil durante la cena.

You always take out your cell phone during dinner.

C to QU Spelling Change

Even though 'sacar' is a regular verb, in forms where the 'c' comes before an 'e' (like 'yo' preterite or the whole subjunctive), the 'c' changes to 'qu' to keep the hard 'k' sound.

quitas

/KEE-tahs//ˈkitas/

VerbA2Informal
Use 'quitas' when you are removing something that is attached or a mark from a surface, like a stain or a sticker.
A hand picking up a single red block from a neat stack of blue blocks on a wooden table.

Examples

Tú siempre quitas las manchas de la ropa muy bien.

You always remove stains from clothes very well.

Si quitas el mantel, yo puedo limpiar la mesa.

If you take off the tablecloth, I can clean the table.

Le quitas importancia al problema.

You are downplaying the problem (literally: taking importance away from it).

Using 'quitas' with people

When you take something away from someone, use 'le' or 'me' before the word. For example: 'Me quitas el juguete' (You take the toy away from me).

Taking off clothes

Mistake: “Using 'quitas la camisa' for yourself.”

Correction: Say 'te quitas la camisa'. When you remove your own clothes, you need to add the 'te' (yourself) to the action.

Sacas vs. Quitas: Surface vs. Disposal

Learners often confuse 'sacas' and 'quitas' by using 'sacas' for cleaning actions. Remember, 'quitas' is for removing marks or attached items, while 'sacas' is for taking things out of a container or disposing of them.

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