The Imperfect Tense of robar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo robaba dulces de la cocina cuando era niño. (I used to steal candy from the kitchen when I was a child.)

Robar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The imperfect tense of robar is used to describe ongoing, repeated, or habitual actions in the past.

Stealing or taking something without permission: For example, Cuando era niño, robaba dulces de la tienda. (When I was a child, I used to steal candy from the store.) This can also be used in a more figurative sense, like El actor robó la atención del público. (The actor stole the audience’s attention.)

Colloquial usage: In some Latin American countries, robar can be used informally to mean “to cheat” or “to take advantage of someone,” like Me robaron en ese negocio. (They ripped me off in that business deal.) It can also mean “to impress” or “to captivate,” like La cantante robó los corazones de todos. (The singer stole everyone’s hearts.)

Rude or vulgar usage: In some contexts, robar can be used in a vulgar way to refer to sexual activity, like Anoche me robé a tu hermana. (Last night I banged your sister.) This usage is considered extremely rude and offensive.

Examples

Examples of Robar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo robaba dulces de la tienda cuando era niño. (I used to steal candy from the store when I was a kid.)

Ella robaba las ideas de sus compañeros de clase. (She used to steal ideas from her classmates.)

Nosotros robábamos frutas del huerto de nuestro vecino. (We used to steal fruit from our neighbor’s orchard.)

Ellos robaban carteras en el centro comercial. (They used to steal wallets at the mall.)

Tú robabas el corazón de todas las chicas. (You used to steal the heart of all the girls.)

Mi hermano robaba dinero de la cartera de mamá. (My brother used to steal money from mom’s purse.)

Las bandas robaban bancos en la ciudad. (The gangs used to rob banks in the city.)

Yo robaba tiempo para estudiar después del trabajo. (I used to steal time to study after work.)

Ellas robaban la atención de todos en la fiesta. (They used to steal everyone’s attention at the party.)

Tú robabas las respuestas del examen. (You used to steal the answers to the exam.)

Nosotros robábamos galletas de la cocina cuando éramos niños. (We used to steal cookies from the kitchen when we were kids.)

Él robaba los corazones de las chicas con su encanto. (He used to steal the hearts of girls with his charm.)

Ellos robaban autos para venderlos en el mercado negro. (They used to steal cars to sell them on the black market.)

Yo robaba momentos de paz en el parque. (I used to steal moments of peace at the park.)

Ustedes robaban las miradas de todos en la calle. (You used to steal everyone’s glances on the street.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.