robar
/roˈbaɾ/
To steal in Spanish is robar.
robar is used to describe the act of taking something that belongs to someone else without their permission.
Which one should you use?
While robar is the standard term for stealing an object, the term hurtar is a more formal or literary way to express stealing or pilfering.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word birlar is mainly used to express the concept of theft.
How does it change in a sentence?
The third-person singular preterite form (he/she stole) is robó, and the past participle (stolen) is robado.
How do you pronounce it?
/roˈbaɾ/
Did you know?
- The word robar is an example of a Germanic word entering the Spanish language via Late Latin raubāre.
- While robar and hurtar both mean 'to steal', a person who commits hurto may face lighter legal penalties because it specifically implies theft without violence.
- The verb robar is frequently used in sports contexts to describe a 'steal' of the ball in basketball or a 'stolen base' in baseball.
Examples in context
- Robar dinero es malo.It is wrong to steal money.This sentence shows how to express that stealing money is a wrong action using robar.Tatoeba #3579479 by marcelostockle, translation #64555 by CK
- Querían robar el coche.They wanted to steal the car.This sentence uses robar to describe an intention to steal a car.Tatoeba #4510059 by rsarias, translation #4509403 by fekundulo
- La pobreza lo hizo robar.Poverty drove him to steal.This sentence uses robar to explain how poverty can lead someone to steal.Tatoeba #3954940 by gianich73, translation #303175 by CM
- El ladrón robó mi cartera en la estación de tren.The thief stole my wallet at the train station.
- Por favor, no robes mis dulces.Please, don't steal my candies.
- Ellos robaron las entradas para el concierto.They stole the tickets for the concert.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking about a missing phone.
- DanielAlguien quiso robar mi teléfono hoy.Someone tried to steal my phone today.
- María¡Qué horror! ¿Lo pudiste recuperar?How awful! Were you able to get it back?
- DanielSí, pero es muy triste robar así.Yes, but it is very sad to steal like that.
- MaríaTienes razón, Daniel. Es muy injusto.You are right, Daniel. It is very unfair.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry robar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries robar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
