Antes de cocinar, saco la tabla de madera y el abrelatas del armario.

Because after antes in Spanish, you normally use de before an infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• antes de + infinitive = before doing something

Examples:

• Antes de salir = before leaving
• Antes de comer = before eating
• Antes de cocinar = before cooking

This is a very common structure in Spanish.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form saco already tells you the subject is I, because it is the first person singular of sacar in the present tense.

So both of these can mean the same thing:

• Saco la tabla...
• Yo saco la tabla...

Using yo is usually only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Saco is the present tense of sacar.

Here it can describe:

• a habitual action: Before cooking, I take out...
• a routine: something the speaker normally does

Spanish uses the present tense a lot for routines and general habits, just like English does.

Conjugation of sacar in the present:

• yo saco
• tú sacas
• él/ella saca
• nosotros sacamos
• vosotros sacáis
• ellos sacan

Here sacar means to take out or to get out.

So saco la tabla... del armario means the speaker is removing those objects from the cupboard/cabinet.

Be aware that sacar has several meanings depending on context, such as:

• to take out
• to pull out
• to get
• to obtain
• to bring out

But in this sentence, take out is the natural meaning.

Yes, literally it is the board of wood, but in natural English we usually say the wooden board or the wood board, depending on context.

In Spanish, de + material is very common:

• una mesa de madera = a wooden table
• una cuchara de metal = a metal spoon
• una botella de vidrio = a glass bottle

So tabla de madera simply describes what the board is made of.

Most likely, yes.

By itself, tabla can mean board or plank, but in a kitchen context la tabla de madera will often be understood as a wooden cutting board.

Spanish does not always spell out the full idea if the context makes it obvious.

Yes, abrelatas is masculine here, so it takes el.

It means can opener.

Even though it ends in -s, it can still be singular. The article tells you the number:

• el abrelatas = the can opener
• los abrelatas = the can openers

This kind of word is common in Spanish: the form may stay the same, and the article shows whether it is singular or plural.

Because Antes de cocinar is an introductory phrase placed at the beginning of the sentence.

In Spanish, it is common to use a comma after a fronted time expression or introductory phrase, especially when it helps readability:

• Antes de cocinar, saco...
• Por la mañana, desayuno temprano.
• Después de cenar, salimos.

You may sometimes see short introductory phrases without a comma, but here the comma is very natural.

Because de + el contracts to del in Spanish.

So:

• de + el = del
• a + el = al

That is why:

• del armario = from the cupboard/cabinet
• not de el armario

One important exception: if el is part of a proper name, you do not contract it:

• de El Escorial
• not del Escorial when referring to the full proper name

Yes. In this sentence, del armario applies to both la tabla de madera and el abrelatas.

So the structure is basically:

• I take out the wooden board and the can opener from the cupboard

Spanish does not need to repeat del armario after each noun.

If you expanded it, it would mean:

• saco la tabla de madera del armario y saco el abrelatas del armario

But that would sound repetitive, so Spanish naturally uses the shorter coordinated version.

Spanish uses definite articles more often than English does.

Here, the speaker is referring to specific, identifiable things:

• la tabla = the particular board they use
• el abrelatas = the specific can opener
• el armario = the relevant cupboard/cabinet

In English, we might sometimes leave articles out or phrase things differently, but in Spanish articles are very commonly used with everyday objects when they are known or understood from context.

It depends on context.

Armario is a general word that can mean:

• cupboard
• cabinet
• wardrobe
• closet

In a kitchen sentence like this, armario most naturally means a cupboard or cabinet.

So del armario here is best understood as out of the cupboard/cabinet.

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible.

For example, you could also say:

• Saco la tabla de madera y el abrelatas del armario antes de cocinar.

That means the same thing.

Starting with Antes de cocinar puts the time idea first and gives the sentence a more natural flow in many contexts. Both versions are correct.