La pastiglia detergente toglie il residuo di caffè.

Because pastiglia is a feminine singular noun in Italian, so it takes the feminine singular definite article la.

• la pastiglia = the tablet
• il residuo = the residue

In Italian, articles must agree with the noun in gender and number.

A useful habit is to learn new nouns together with their article:

• la pastiglia
• il residuo
• il caffè

In Italian, adjectives often come after the noun, especially when they are describing the type or function of something.

So:

• pastiglia detergente = cleaning tablet / detergent tablet

This word order is very normal in Italian. English often puts this kind of describing word before the noun, but Italian commonly puts it after:

• acqua fredda = cold water
• macchina nuova = new car
• prodotto detergente = cleaning product

Pastiglia literally means a tablet, pill, or tab, depending on context.

In this sentence, it does not mean a medicine pill. It refers to a small solid tablet used for cleaning, like a coffee-machine cleaning tab.

So in context:

• la pastiglia detergente = the cleaning tablet

Italian often uses pastiglia for any small compressed tablet-shaped item, not only medicine.

Toglie is the third-person singular present tense of the verb togliere.

So:

• io tolgo = I remove
• tu togli = you remove
• lui/lei toglie = he/she/it removes
• noi togliamo = we remove
• voi togliete = you all remove
• loro tolgono = they remove

In your sentence, the subject is la pastiglia detergente, which is singular, so Italian uses toglie:

• La pastiglia detergente toglie... = The cleaning tablet removes...

Not only. Togliere is a very common verb with a range of meanings depending on context, including:

• to remove
• to take away
• to get rid of
• sometimes to take off

Examples:

• Togli il libro dal tavolo. = Remove/Take the book from the table.
• Questa crema toglie le macchie. = This cream removes stains.
• Togli la giacca. = Take off your jacket.

In this sentence, toglie is best understood as removes.

Here, di caffè means of coffee in a general, descriptive sense: coffee residue.

• il residuo di caffè = coffee residue / residue of coffee

Using del caffè would sound more like the residue of the coffee, referring to a more specific coffee already identified in the conversation.

So the difference is roughly:

• di caffè = coffee residue in general
• del caffè = residue from the coffee / of the coffee, more specific

Italian often uses di + noun without an article for this kind of material or category:

• tazza di tè = cup of tea
• macchia di vino = wine stain
• odore di fumo = smell of smoke

The accent in caffè shows that the stress falls on the final syllable: caf-FÈ.

It is also required in writing because the word ends in a stressed -è. Many Italian words with final stress are written with an accent mark:

• città
• perché
• caffè

So you should write caffè, not caffe.

Sometimes, but not always. Residuo means residue, deposit, or leftover material. It is something remaining after use or after a process.

So:

• residuo di caffè = coffee residue / coffee deposit

A stain is more often macchia in Italian:

• macchia di caffè = coffee stain

If the idea is built-up coffee deposits inside a machine, residuo is a better fit than macchia.

Yes. Italian often drops pronoun subjects like io, tu, lui, etc., because the verb ending already shows the person.

But in this sentence, la pastiglia detergente is not a pronoun—it is the full noun subject. It is stated explicitly because we need to know what removes the residue.

So:

• toglie by itself = removes
• la pastiglia detergente toglie = the cleaning tablet removes

Italian drops subject pronouns when they are unnecessary, but it does not usually drop the actual noun subject if that information is needed.

Yes, often you could. Rimuove comes from rimuovere, which also means to remove.

• La pastiglia detergente toglie il residuo di caffè.
• La pastiglia detergente rimuove il residuo di caffè.

Both are understandable. The difference is mostly one of tone and style:

• togliere is very common and everyday
• rimuovere can sound a bit more formal, technical, or product-description-like

So on packaging or instructions, rimuove is very plausible, but toglie is also natural and clear.

Toglie is pronounced approximately like TOHL-yeh.

The important part is gli, which in Italian is a special sound. It is not pronounced like the gl in English glass.

A rough guide:

• toglie ≈ TOHL-yeh

For many learners, getting close is enough at first. The gli sound also appears in words like:

• famiglia
• figlio
• moglie

It is a very Italian sound, so it may take practice.

Italian uses definite articles more often than English does.

So Italian naturally says:

• La pastiglia detergente
• il residuo di caffè

Even where English might sometimes prefer no article or a different structure, Italian often includes one.

For example, Italian commonly uses articles with general or identifiable nouns:

• Il caffè è caldo. = Coffee is hot.
• La macchina è nuova. = The car is new.

In your sentence, the article sounds completely normal because we are talking about:

• the cleaning tablet as the relevant item
• the coffee residue as the thing being removed

Grammatically, it is a prepositional phrase with di: di caffè = of coffee.

But in practice, it works a lot like an English noun modifier:

• residuo di caffè = coffee residue

Italian often uses di + noun where English uses a noun directly before another noun:

• tazza di tè = tea cup / cup of tea
• filtro dell’acqua = water filter
• chicchi di caffè = coffee beans

So yes, it literally means of coffee, but functionally it helps classify the kind of residue.