Chiediamo il ritiro prima che il mercatino delle pulci chiuda.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

• Indicative present: we ask / we request
• Exhortative (like let’s ...): let’s ask / let’s request

Italian often uses the 1st person plural form this way, and in this case the form is the same: chiediamo.

So as a standalone sentence, it is a little ambiguous. Context tells you whether the speaker is describing an action or suggesting one.

Because prima che normally requires the subjunctive in Italian.

So:

• prima che ... chiuda = before ... closes

This is one of the most common triggers of the subjunctive. The idea is that the closing is still pending, expected, or not yet a completed fact at the moment of speaking.

For a learner, the safest rule is:

• prima che + subjunctive

So chiuda is the standard correct choice here.

Chiuda is the present subjunctive, 3rd person singular, of chiudere.

A quick mini-chart:

• che io chiuda
• che tu chiuda
• che lui/lei chiuda
• che noi chiudiamo
• che voi chiudiate
• che loro chiudano

In this sentence, the subject is il mercatino delle pulci, which is singular, so chiuda is the right form.

Use them differently depending on what follows.

• prima che + conjugated verb
• prima di + infinitive

In your sentence, there is a full clause with its own subject:

• prima che il mercatino delle pulci chiuda

So prima che is required.

Compare:

• Chiediamo il ritiro prima che il mercatino delle pulci chiuda.
• Chiediamo il ritiro prima di uscire.

In the second example, uscire is an infinitive, so prima di is used.

A useful shortcut:

• if you see a new subject + finite verb, think prima che
• if you see just an infinitive, think prima di

Because Italian usually omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

The ending -iamo tells you the subject is we.

So:

• Chiediamo = we ask / let’s ask

You could say Noi chiediamo if you want emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Noi chiediamo il ritiro, loro no.

But in a neutral sentence, leaving out noi is more natural.

Because chiedere can take the thing requested directly.

So:

• chiedere qualcosa = to ask for something / request something

That is why il ritiro comes directly after chiediamo.

You can also add the person or company you are asking, and then Italian uses a:

• Chiediamo il ritiro al negozio.
• We ask the shop for the pickup.

So the pattern is often:

• chiedere qualcosa a qualcuno

Here, only the thing requested is expressed: il ritiro.

Ritiro has several meanings in Italian, depending on context. Common ones include:

• pickup / collection
• withdrawal
• retreat

In this sentence, it most likely means pickup or collection.

For example, in delivery, shipping, repairs, or waste collection, ritiro often means that something is going to be collected or picked up.

So chiedere il ritiro often means:

• to request a pickup
• to arrange collection

Italian often uses the definite article where English might not.

Here, il ritiro sounds like the pickup / the collection, meaning a specific pickup understood from context.

Compare:

• chiediamo il ritiro = we request the pickup / the collection
• chiediamo un ritiro = we request a pickup

Using no article at all would usually sound unnatural here.

Literally, it means something like little market of the fleas.

Breakdown:

• mercato = market
• mercatino = little market / small market
• delle pulci = of the fleas

But as a full expression, mercatino delle pulci simply means flea market.

This is an idiomatic expression, so you should learn it as a set phrase.

Delle is the contraction of:

• di + le = delle

So:

• le pulci = the fleas
• delle pulci = of the fleas

This is just how the fixed expression mercatino delle pulci is formed.

Yes. Italian word order is fairly flexible.

You could also say:

• Prima che il mercatino delle pulci chiuda, chiediamo il ritiro.

This means the same thing, but it puts more emphasis on the time limit: before the flea market closes.

The original version is also perfectly natural. The choice mostly depends on what you want to emphasize.

Yes — that is a very good rule to memorize.

For learners, this is one of the most reliable patterns in Italian:

• prima che → usually followed by the subjunctive

So if you want to build correct sentences, this is a helpful model:

• prima che arrivi
• prima che partano
• prima che chiuda

That will keep you on solid ground in standard Italian.