quítate de encima
/kitate de enθima/from spelling rules
The English phrase "get off me" is translated into Spanish as quítate de encima.
This phrase is used both physically (someone is literally sitting or leaning on you) and figuratively (to tell someone to stop bothering or pressuring you).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive verb quitarse (to remove oneself) and the prepositional phrase de encima (from on top of).
Which one should you use?
While quítate de encima is often used alone, adding de mí at the end explicitly specifies "off of me".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you may hear Quítame las manos de encima. to mean "Take your hands off me." In Argentina, the phrase Sacá tus manos de encima. is commonly used to mean "Take your hands off me." In Spain, Apártate de mí. is a way to express "Move away from me."
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form uses the informal imperative tú conjugation. To use this command with a stranger or someone you address formally, change quítate to quítese.
Did you know?
- Using the formal quítese de encima to a person physically touching you can actually sound more aggressive and insulting than the informal version because it creates a cold, distance-based barrier.
- The word encima is a combination of the preposition en and the noun cima, which means 'summit' or 'peak'.
- If you are being pressured by a problem or a debt rather than a person, you might say tengo un problema encima to mean 'I have a problem weighing on me'.
Examples in context
- Señor, por favor, aléjese de mí. No quiero que me toque.Sir, please, step away from me. I do not want you to touch me.
- Quítate de encima.Get off me.
- ¡Quítate de encima! No quiero que me toques.Get off me! I don't want you to touch me.
- ¡Quítate de encima, por favor!Get off me, please!
- No puedo respirar, quítate de encima.I can't breathe, get off me.
- Oye, quítate de encima que me agobias.Hey, get off me, you're crowding me.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are playing around and Lucía accidentally falls on top of him.
- Javier¡Ay! ¡Quítate de encima, Lucía!Ouch! Get off me, Lucía!
- Lucía¡Perdón! Lo siento mucho, Javier.Sorry! I am so sorry, Javier.
- JavierNo pasa nada, pero no me aplastes.It's okay, but don't crush me.
- LucíaVale, ya me muevo.Okay, I'm moving now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, encima, CC BY-SA 4.0.
