rubare
/ruˈba.re/
Stealing in Italian is rubare.
The most common and generic term for "to steal" in Italian is rubare.
Which one should you use?
While rubare is the common word for stealing, sottrarre is a more formal or legalistic term used when describing the act of taking something away from someone's possession. In more serious contexts, such as talking about looting or pillaging, you can use depredare. You can use scippare to specifically refer to the act of snatching or pickpocketing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form rubare is used to express the concept of stealing in many constructions where English would use the gerund "stealing".
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the second syllable: /ruˈba.re/.
Did you know?
- The word rubare is actually more closely related to the Old German roots of 'robbery' than to the Latin roots of 'theft'.
- In Italian, the term furto (theft) is a noun derived from the same root as furbo, a word used to describe someone who is 'cunning' or 'sly'.
- Italian uses rubare when talking about 'stealing' time from a busy schedule, such as rubare un momento to ask for a brief second of someone's attention.
Examples in context
- Accusò l'uomo di rubare.He accused the man of stealing.This sentence is useful for seeing how to express an accusation involving rubare.Tatoeba #4887755 by Guybrush88, translation #291128 by CK
- Tom fu beccato a rubare.Tom was caught stealing.This sentence shows how to describe being caught in the act of rubare.Tatoeba #6872397 by Guybrush88, translation #4496334 by CK
- Sami fu beccato a rubare.Sami got caught stealing.Tatoeba #6793752 by Guybrush88, translation #6793746 by OsoHombre
- Non rubare mai!Never steal!
- L'individuo ha sottratto denaro dalla cassa.The individual stole money from the cash register.
- Durante la guerra, molti paesi furono depredati.During the war, many countries were looted.
- Mi hanno fregato il portafoglio!They stole my wallet!
- Mi hanno scippato il telefono mentre ero in metro.They snatched my phone while I was on the subway.
- I bambini rubacchiano le caramelle ai nonni.Children steal candies from their grandparents.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are talking about a news report.
- LorenzoHanno arrestato un uomo per rubare in un negozio.They arrested a man for stealing in a shop.
- ChiaraDavvero? Cosa ha preso?Really? What did he take?
- LorenzoHa provato a rubare dei gioielli costosi.He tried stealing some expensive jewelry.
- ChiaraChe errore ha fatto, Lorenzo.What a mistake he made, Lorenzo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rubare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rubare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
