Dale la vuelta al pollo con la espátula, que la sartén todavía está muy caliente.

Dale is da (the tú imperative of dar) + le attached to the end.

In this sentence, darle la vuelta a algo is a very common expression meaning to turn something over or flip something. So dale la vuelta al pollo means turn the chicken over.

The le here is part of that very common pattern. Even though learners often expect just dar la vuelta a algo, Spanish frequently uses darle la vuelta a algo in everyday speech.

Here, dar la vuelta means to turn over / flip something.

In cooking, dar la vuelta a something is the usual way to say flip it:

• Dale la vuelta al filete. = Flip the steak.
• Dale la vuelta a la tortilla. = Turn the omelette over.

Outside cooking, dar la vuelta can also mean other kinds of turning:

• Dar la vuelta a la esquina = turn the corner
• Dar la vuelta = turn around / go back

So the exact meaning depends on context.

Because al is the contraction of a + el.

The expression is dar la vuelta a algo or darle la vuelta a algo, so the thing being turned comes after a:

• darle la vuelta al pollo
• darle la vuelta al pescado
• darle la vuelta a la tortilla

Since pollo is masculine singular and uses el, a + el = al.

Yes, in a broad sense, but it is best understood as part of the set expression darle la vuelta a algo.

Learners often try to analyse it very literally, but native speakers usually just treat darle la vuelta a as a chunk meaning turn over. So while le is connected to the thing being turned, the safest approach is to learn the whole expression together.

Because with affirmative commands, object pronouns are attached to the end of the verb.

So:

• da
  • le → dale
• pon
  • lo → ponlo
• dime
• hazlo

With negative commands, the pronoun goes before the verb:

• No le des la vuelta al pollo.

So:

• Dale la vuelta... = affirmative command
• No le des la vuelta... = negative command

Because dale is naturally stressed in the normal way for a two-syllable word ending in a vowel: DA-le. That follows standard stress rules, so no written accent is needed.

Some attached pronoun forms do need an accent to keep the original stress:

• dime
• hazlo
• ponlo

but:

• dámelo
• háblame
• escríbelo

In dale, no written accent is necessary.

Con la espátula means with the spatula and tells you the instrument or tool used to do the action.

So the structure is:

• Dale la vuelta al pollo = Turn the chicken over
• con la espátula = using the spatula

It is very natural Spanish. You could also rephrase it in other ways, but con is the most direct and common choice here.

Here que means something like because / since.

In everyday Spanish, especially in speech, que is often used to give a reason or explanation:

• Hazlo ahora, que luego no tendrás tiempo.
• Abrígate, que hace frío.
• Dale la vuelta al pollo..., que la sartén todavía está muy caliente.

So in this sentence, que introduces the reason: because the frying pan is still very hot.

This is a very common colloquial use.

Because estar is used for a current state or condition, and temperature is usually treated as a temporary condition.

So:

• La sartén está muy caliente. = The frying pan is very hot.
• El café está frío. = The coffee is cold.

Using ser here would sound wrong, because the pan is not inherently hot by nature; it is hot right now.

Todavía means still here.

So la sartén todavía está muy caliente means: the frying pan is still very hot.

It emphasizes that the pan has remained hot up to this moment. Without todavía, the sentence would simply say the pan is very hot. With todavía, it suggests continuing heat, which helps explain the warning or instruction.

In standard modern Spanish, la sartén is very commonly feminine, especially in Spain.

So you will usually hear:

• la sartén
• esta sartén
• la sartén está caliente

You may sometimes encounter masculine usage in some regions or older usage, but for learners of Spanish from Spain, la sartén is the safest and most standard choice.

You could say gira el pollo in some contexts, but in cooking dale la vuelta al pollo is much more idiomatic for turn it over / flip it.

Girar often means to turn / rotate, but it can sound less natural for the typical cooking action of flipping food in a pan.

So for cooking, darle la vuelta a is the expression you really want to know.

It is using tú.

The command dale comes from da, which is the tú imperative of dar.

If you wanted the usted version, it would be:

• Dele la vuelta al pollo con la espátula, que la sartén todavía está muy caliente.

So:

• dale = tú
• dele = usted

Yes. Both can be correct, but darle la vuelta a algo is extremely common in everyday Spanish.

For example, native speakers may say:

• Da la vuelta al pollo.
• Dale la vuelta al pollo.

Both are understandable, but dale la vuelta is especially natural and common in spoken language. For a learner, it is useful to remember darle la vuelta a algo as a fixed expression.

The comma separates the instruction from the explanation.

• Dale la vuelta al pollo con la espátula = instruction
• que la sartén todavía está muy caliente = reason/explanation

This kind of pause is very natural in written Spanish when que introduces an explanatory comment. It helps the sentence read more clearly and matches the intonation a speaker would use.