The Present Tense of robar is used to describe actions that are happening right now or that occur habitually. For example, Él roba dinero de la caja registradora. (He steals money from the cash register.)

Robar is a regular -ar verb, which means its conjugations follow the typical pattern for verbs ending in -ar in the present tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

Robar generally means to steal or rob, but has several different meanings in the Present Tense, some of which might surprise you.

Literal meaning: To take something illegally or without permission, for example, Él roba dinero del banco. (He robs money from the bank.)

Figurative meaning: To take or deprive someone of something in an unfair way, for example, El profesor nos roba el tiempo con sus largas explicaciones. (The teacher robs us of our time with his long explanations.)

Slang meaning: To impress or captivate someone, for example, Esa chica me roba el corazón con su sonrisa. (That girl steals my heart with her smile.)

Rude meaning: To cheat or deceive someone, often in a romantic context, for example, ¡Me robas! ¡Estás saliendo con otra persona! (You’re robbing me! You’re seeing someone else!)

Examples

Examples of Robar in the Present Tense

Cada mañana, mi vecino roba el periódico de mi puerta. (Every morning, my neighbor steals the newspaper from my doorstep.)

¿Por qué robas mis galletas? ¡Deja de hacer eso! (Why do you steal my cookies? Stop doing that!)

Los ladrones roban joyas y dinero de las casas ricas. (Thieves steal jewels and money from wealthy homes.)

Desafortunadamente, algunos empleados roban de la caja registradora. (Unfortunately, some employees steal from the cash register.)

En la película, el ladrón roba un banco para alimentar a su familia. (In the movie, the thief robs a bank to feed his family.)

Los niños roban dulces de la tienda cuando nadie los ve. (The kids steal candy from the store when no one is watching.)

¿Por qué robáis las bicicletas de los demás? Eso no está bien. (Why do you steal other people’s bicycles? That’s not right.)

La pandilla roba coches y los vende por partes. (The gang steals cars and sells them for parts.)

Algunos piratas informáticos roban información personal de las computadoras. (Some hackers steal personal information from computers.)

Los rateros roban carteras y bolsos en las multitudes. (Pickpockets steal wallets and purses in crowds.)

¿Por qué robamos las manzanas del huerto del vecino cuando éramos niños? (Why did we steal apples from the neighbor’s orchard when we were kids?)

El ladrón roba la joyería y huye en su motocicleta. (The thief steals the jewelry and flees on his motorcycle.)

Los fanáticos roban souvenirs de los estadios después de los partidos. (Fans steal souvenirs from stadiums after games.)

¿Por qué robas las ideas de los demás? Eso se llama plagio. (Why do you steal other people’s ideas? That’s called plagiarism.)

Los estafadores roban el dinero de las personas mayores con engaños. (Scammers steal money from elderly people through deception.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Present Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Present tense is also known as the Simple Present, Present Simple, Present Tense, or Present Indicative in English, and as Presente de Indicativo, Presente Simple, Tiempo Presente, or Indicativo Presente in Spanish.