Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| robo | /ˈrobo/ | masculine |
| shacamento | /sakamento/ (from spelling rules) | Argentina, masculine |
robo is the most common and straightforward word for robbery. While it can refer to general theft, it is the specific term used for robbery involving force or violence against a person or property. You may also encounter asalto, which implies a robbery involving an attack or assault and hurto, which technically means theft but is often used interchangeably with robbery in some countries.
Which one should you use?
robo is the standard term for a robbery involving force or violence. In contrast, atraco is a term primarily used in Spain to refer to a forceful or violent robbery.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term shacamento is a regionalism used to refer to a robbery. In Spain, the word atraco is the primary way to describe a forceful robbery.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun robo is masculine. When referring to a specific robbery, you should use the masculine article el, resulting in el robo.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈrobo/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, robo can refer not just to a crime, but to the act of 'stealing' a victory or a game through luck or a bad referee call.
- Although robo is a Spanish word, it actually descends from a Germanic root via Late Latin, rather than coming directly from Classical Latin.
- The word robo is a deverbal noun, meaning it was created directly from the verb robar to describe the act of stealing.
Examples in context
- Él es sospechoso de robo.He is suspected of robbery.This sentence shows how to use robo when expressing suspicion.Tatoeba #1637260 by teskmon, translation #300601 by CM
- Dime cómo se aplacó el robo.Tell me how the robbery went down.This sentence uses robo to ask about the occurrence of a robbery.Tatoeba #1168906 by marcelostockle, translation #1168524 by darinmex
- Le enviaron a la cárcel por el robo.He was sent to jail for the robbery.This sentence uses robo to describe the reason someone was sent to jail.Tatoeba #485129 by Shishir, translation #295312 by sacredceltic
- Hubo un robo en la joyeríaThere was a robbery at the jewelry store
- El banco fue víctima de un atraco anocheThe bank was the victim of a robbery last night
- Denunció el hurto de su automóvilHe reported the robbery of his car
- Fui víctima de un asalto en la calleI was the victim of a robbery on the street
- Anoche hubo un robo en mi apartamentoThere was a robbery in my apartment last night
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a news report.
- MaríaViste las noticias sobre el robo en el banco?Did you see the news about the robbery at the bank?
- JavierSí, Javier leyó que fue muy rápido.Yes, Javier read that it was very fast.
- MaríaEs terrible que ocurra un robo así aquí.It's terrible that a robbery like that happens here.
- JavierTienes razón, María, es muy preocupante.You are right, María, it is very worrying.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “robbery” translations and entries robo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries robo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
