رتبي المائدة من فضلك، ولا تنسي الأطباق فوق الطاولة.

and

Breakdown of رتبي المائدة من فضلك، ولا تنسي الأطباق فوق الطاولة.

• من فضلك: please
• ينسى: to forget
• لا: (negation)

Questions & Answers about رتبي المائدة من فضلك، ولا تنسي الأطباق فوق الطاولة.

How can I tell that this sentence is addressed to one woman?

The verb forms show it.

• رتبي is the feminine singular imperative of رتّب.
• لا تنسي is the feminine singular negative command form of نسي.

So the speaker is talking to one female person.

If the speaker were talking to one man, the sentence would be:

رتّب المائدة من فضلك، ولا تنسَ الأطباق فوق الطاولة.

What does رتبي literally mean here?

رتبي comes from رتّب, which means to arrange, organize, put in order.

With المائدة, it naturally means set the table.

So this is not just about putting things in order in a general sense. In this context, it specifically means arranging the table for a meal.

Why are there two different words for table: المائدة and الطاولة?

This is a very natural question, because both can be translated as table.

• المائدة often means the dining table or even the table as prepared for a meal.
• الطاولة is the more general word for a physical table.

So:

• رتبي المائدة = set the table
• =