Quitar and sacar are very similar in use and today I will show you how to use quitar correctly.

The first meaning of quitar is to take something off a surface, like when you take off your hat or take the book off a table:

Quita el libro de la mesa. – Take the book off the table.
El anciano se quitó el sombrero. – The old man took off his hat.
Quita la mesa, por favor. – Clear the table, please.
Quitando el queso, me gusta todo. – Apart from cheese, I’ll eat anything

Quitar can also mean to remove or quit doing something:

Se me han quitado los granos de la cara. – My pimples have been removed.
El aguarrás quita las manchas de pintura. – Turpentine removes paint stains.
Han quitado la vigilancia de aquel sition. – They took the security off that place.
Han quitado esa línea de autobús. – They stopped that bus line.
El café me quita el sueño. – Tea keeps me awake.

Fue ella quien me quitó de fumar. – It was her to got me to stop smoking.
Me he quitado de beber. – I’ve stopped drinking.

It can also mean “to take away” or “to steal”:

Le quitaron el dinero a Pablo. – They took the money away from Pablo.
María le quitó el novio a Elena. – María stole Elena’s fiancé.
Me han quitado la billetera en la fiesta. – My walled was stolen at the party.

Did you know it can also mean “to avoid” or “to be an obstacle”?

Esto no quita que vayas a clase. – This doesn’t mean/change the fact that you don’t have to go to class.
Que no estemos de acuerdo en todo no quita que podamos ir de vacaciones juntos. – The fact that we don’t agree in everything doesn’t mean/change the fact that we can’t go on vacation together.

As a pronominal verb it means to “go away”:

Quítate de aquí. – Get out of here.

Some common collocations with quitar:

quitar importancia – to play something down
quitar la palabra – to stop speaking to someone
quitar la razón – to contradict
quitar la vida a alguien – take someone’s life
quitar la vista de – to stop staring at
quitar las ganas – to put someone off something, to go off (the idea of) doing something
quitar tiempo – to take time away from
quitar un peso de encima – to lift a weight off
quitar una multa – to drop a fine

Por hoy es todo, nos vemos prontito.

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