The preterite of robar is used to express when something was stolen at a specific moment in the past. For example, “Someone stole my wallet yesterday” – “Alguien me robó la cartera ayer.”
This is a regular -ar verb in the preterite tense. It follows the standard conjugation pattern for -ar verbs without any spelling changes or irregularities.
Conjugations
Conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):
| Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Yo | robé |
| Tú | robaste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | robó |
| Nosotros / Nosotras | robamos |
| Vosotros / Vosotras | robasteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | robaron |
Boost Your Memorization with Audio!
We’ve included audio recordings of the the conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Preterite (Past) Tense to help you learn faster.
Pro Tip: Play the audio on a loop as you study the chart. This repetition will solidify the correct conjugations in your memory.
Usage of Robar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
The Preterite of robar indicates specific instances of theft or taking.
To steal/rob: Describes a specific act of theft, for example Robaron el banco anoche (They robbed the bank last night), or Me robó el celular (They stole my phone).
To take away/steal (figurative): Used metaphorically, for example Me robó el corazón (She stole my heart).
Examples
Examples of Robar in the Preterite (Past) Tense
Alguien robó mi bicicleta ayer. (Someone stole my bicycle yesterday.)
Los ladrones robaron el banco a medianoche. (The thieves robbed the bank at midnight.)
¿Te robaron el celular en el metro? (Did they steal your phone on the subway?)
Le robaron la cartera en el mercado. (They stole her wallet at the market.)
El ladrón robó joyas por valor de miles de dólares. (The thief stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.)
Nos robaron el auto del estacionamiento. (They stole our car from the parking lot.)
Robaron la tienda durante la noche. (They robbed the store during the night.)
¿Quién te robó la idea del proyecto? (Who stole your project idea?)
Les robaron todo durante las vacaciones. (They were robbed of everything during vacation.)
El gato me robó el pescado de la cocina. (The cat stole my fish from the kitchen.)
Robaron el museo en pleno día. (They robbed the museum in broad daylight.)
Me robaron la mochila en el parque. (They stole my backpack in the park.)
¿Te robaron la contraseña de tu cuenta? (Did they steal your account password?)
Los hackers robaron información confidencial. (The hackers stole confidential information.)
Robaron la caja fuerte de la oficina. (They robbed the office safe.)
Conjugations with English Translations
Conjugations of Robar (to steal) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo robé | I stole |
| Tú robaste | You stole |
| Él / Ella / Usted robó | He / She / You (formal) stole |
| Nosotros / Nosotras robamos | We stole |
| Vosotros / Vosotras robasteis | You all stole |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes robaron | They / You all (formal) stole |
This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here
Synonyms
The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.