Quitar means 'to take off', 'to remove' and 'to take away', and it is a regular -ar verb that is the natural opposite of poner. Quita los platos de la mesa (take the plates off the table). The reflexive quitarse is essential for clothing: me quito el abrigo (I take off my coat), mirroring ponerse ('to put on'). It also appears in quitar el polvo ('to dust'). Because dressing and removing things come up in routine and description, quitar and especially quitarse are practical. As a regular -ar verb the conjugation is predictable.
Quick facts
Quitar (to remove) is a regular -ar verb.
Real sentences across different tenses — the kind of thing you'd actually say or write.
Quita los platos (take the plates away).
Reflexive quitarse: me quito el abrigo.
Quitar (take off) vs poner (put on).
Quitar el polvo (to dust).
Fixed expressions worth knowing — they come up in listening, reading and writing tasks.
Idiomatic expressions
quitar is a regular -ar verb — it follows the standard -ar pattern in every tense. That makes it a good one to drill: if you know quitar, you know the template for all regular -ar verbs.
Type conjugations from memory and get instant feedback. That's how you actually build the automatic recall the exam needs — not from reading tables.
Practice quitar now →Three questions, no account needed. Type the form, then press Enter or tap Check.
yo: quito, tú: quitas, él: quita, nosotros: quitamos, vosotros: quitáis, ellos: quitan
The past participle is quitado (he quitado) and the gerund is quitando (estoy quitando).
Quitar is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel.
Verbs that are easy to confuse with quitar or that behave like it.
Quitar is on the AQA and Eduqas GCSE Spanish vocabulary lists, but not on Edexcel. Compare the exam boards.
Written by Daniel Holmes for GCSE & A-Level Spanish students.