se faire voler
The English phrase 'get robbed' is translated into French as se faire voler.
The phrase is used to describe the experience of having something stolen from you by another person. While the verb voler means 'to steal', the reflexive construction se faire voler is specifically used to express the passive experience of being the victim of theft.
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to express this depending on the nuance and register. Être volé(e) is a common and neutral way to say 'get robbed'. Être dépouillé(e) conveys a sense of being completely stripped or plundered due to a robbery. For informal situations, you can use the colloquial expressions se faire piquer or se faire chouraver.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify what was stolen, place the object directly after the infinitive voler, forming se faire voler quelque chose. To express that the robbery happened in the past, use the passé composé: s'est fait voler.
Did you know?
- The modern French word rober still exists, but it now means 'to wrap a cigar in a sheet of tobacco' instead of 'to rob'.
- While se faire voler is the standard term, the slang se faire piquer literally means 'to get stung' by an insect.
- The slang term chouraver originates from argot, a specialized language historically used by the criminal underworld in Paris.
Examples in context
- Les cambrioleurs m'ont dépouillé(e) de toutes mes affaires.The burglars stripped me of all my belongings.
- Je me suis fait piquer mon téléphone à la fête.I got my phone stolen at the party.
- On m'a cambriolé pendant mes vacances au Québec.I got robbed during my vacation in Quebec.
- Il s'est fait dévaliser à Bruxelles.He got robbed in Brussels.
- Je me suis fait voler mon sac.I had my bag stolen.
- Elle a peur de se faire voler dans le métro.She is afraid of getting robbed in the subway.
