Breakdown of Quita los platos de la mesa.
de
from / of
la mesa
the table
el plato
the dish / the plate
quitar
to take away, to remove
Questions & Answers about Quita los platos de la mesa.
How would I change this sentence to say "Take them off the table" using a pronoun?
Since this is an affirmative command, you attach the direct object pronoun los (them) directly to the end of the verb, making it Quítalos de la mesa. Notice that we added an accent mark to Quítalos: when you attach a pronoun to a command of two or more syllables, you must add an accent to keep the spoken stress on the original vowel.
Why is the command "quita" instead of "quite" or "quitas"?
Quita is the informal tú command. For regular verbs, the affirmative tú command looks exactly like the normal él/ella present tense form. If you were speaking formally to someone (usted), the command would swap the vowel and become Quite los platos.
I learned that "take" is "tomar" or "llevar". Why does this sentence use "quitar"?
Spanish uses different verbs for "take" depending on the context. Tomar is for physically grabbing something or taking a drink, and llevar is for carrying something to another place. Quitar specifically means "to take away" or "to remove." Since you are clearing or removing plates, quitar is the right verb to use here.
Does the word "de" mean "off" here?
Yes! While you probably first learned de as "of" or "from," it is the standard preposition used when removing or separating things. Taking the plates "from" the table translates naturally in English to taking them "off" the table.