Sustraer means to take something away from a particular source or to remove it, often implying a notion of taking something that does not belong to the taker. In legal contexts, it can refer to the act of stealing or withholding something unlawfully.
In terms of frequency of use, "sustraer" is more commonly found in written language, especially in texts related to mathematics, law, and formal documents, but it is also used in spoken Spanish in various contexts.
Es necesario sustraer los gastos de la cuenta general.
It is necessary to subtract the expenses from the general account.
La policía logró sustraer evidencia del lugar del crimen.
The police managed to take away evidence from the crime scene.
Cuando tienes deudas, cada mes, debes sustraer el monto del pago de tu ingreso.
When you have debts, each month, you should take away the payment amount from your income.
"Sustraer" is not commonly found in idiomatic expressions as some other verbs are, but related expressions that convey the idea of taking away or subtraction can include:
Necesito sustraer tiempo de mis actividades diarias para estudiar.
I need to take away time from my daily activities to study.
Sustraer valor - "To take away value"
La crisis económica ha comenzado a sustraer valor a nuestras inversiones.
The economic crisis has started to take value away from our investments.
Sustraer atención - "To take away attention"
The verb "sustraer" comes from the Latin "substrahere," which means "to draw from underneath" or "to remove." It combines "sub-" (under) with "tractus," the past participle of "trahere," meaning "to draw" or "to pull."
Extraer (to extract)
Antonyms:
This comprehensive overview should provide you with a well-rounded understanding of the word "sustraer" and its various applications in the Spanish language.