Robar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb robar means to steal — it also means to rob, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Robar is a regular -ar verb, so the tables below show you exactly how it behaves in every tense. On this page you will find the full conjugation of robar in all thirteen tenses, notes on when to use each one, example sentences, the mistakes learners make most often, a ten-question quiz and answers to the questions students ask about this verb. For example, in the present tense you say Yo robo una bicicleta — "I steal a bicycle" — and in the preterite you say Yo robé un banco — "I stole a bank". Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: robar
- English: to steal, to rob
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: robando
- Past participle: robado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + robado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for robar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for robar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Gerund: robando · Past participle: robado
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robo |
| tú | robas |
| él/ella/Ud. | roba |
| nosotros/as | robamos |
| vosotros/as | robáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | roban |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robé |
| tú | robaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | robó |
| nosotros/as | robamos |
| vosotros/as | robasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | robaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robaba |
| tú | robabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | robaba |
| nosotros/as | robábamos |
| vosotros/as | robabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | robaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robaré |
| tú | robarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | robará |
| nosotros/as | robaremos |
| vosotros/as | robaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | robarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robaría |
| tú | robarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | robaría |
| nosotros/as | robaríamos |
| vosotros/as | robaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | robarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he robado |
| tú | has robado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha robado |
| nosotros/as | hemos robado |
| vosotros/as | habéis robado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han robado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había robado |
| tú | habías robado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había robado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos robado |
| vosotros/as | habíais robado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían robado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré robado |
| tú | habrás robado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá robado |
| nosotros/as | habremos robado |
| vosotros/as | habréis robado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán robado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría robado |
| tú | habrías robado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría robado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos robado |
| vosotros/as | habríais robado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían robado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robe |
| tú | robes |
| él/ella/Ud. | robe |
| nosotros/as | robemos |
| vosotros/as | robéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | roben |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | robara |
| tú | robaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | robara |
| nosotros/as | robáramos |
| vosotros/as | robarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | robaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | roba |
| él/ella/Ud. | robe |
| nosotros/as | robemos |
| vosotros/as | robad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | roben |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | robes |
| él/ella/Ud. | robe |
| nosotros/as | robemos |
| vosotros/as | robéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | roben |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | robando | with estar for the progressive: estoy robando |
| Past participle | robado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he robado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. It is the tense you will use most often in everyday conversation, for habits with words like todos los días and for statements that are true in general. For robar, the present indicative looks like this in a real sentence: Yo robo un banco — "I steal a bank". Learn the present indicative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions in the past — things that started and ended, often with time words like ayer, anoche or la semana pasada. The preterite moves a story forward, one completed event at a time. For robar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Yo robé la cartera — "I stole the wallet". Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with words like antes, de niño or mientras. It describes how things used to be, not one finished event. For robar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo robaba una bicicleta — "I used to steal a bicycle". Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. It talks about what will happen, not what is happening now. For robar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Yo robaré un banco — "I will steal a bank". Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often in si clauses. It softens a request and describes imagined situations. For robar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Yo robaría la cartera — "I would steal the wallet". Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. It connects the past with the present moment. For robar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo he robado una bicicleta — "I have stolen a bicycle". Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. It is the past of the past, and it usually appears with antes de or ya. For robar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo había robado un banco — "I had stolen a bank". Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time, often with para mañana or para el viernes. For robar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habré robado la cartera — "I will have stolen the wallet". Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. It looks back at a past that never happened. For robar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Yo habría robado una bicicleta — "I would have stolen a bicycle". Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. The subjunctive does not state a fact; it states an attitude towards the action. For robar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él robe un banco — "I hope he steals a bank". Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For robar, the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) looks like this in a real sentence: Si yo robara la cartera, todo cambiaría — "If I stole the wallet, everything would change". Learn the imperfect subjunctive (-ra) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. It tells someone to do something, and it has no yo form. For robar, the imperative (affirmative) looks like this in a real sentence: Robe una bicicleta — "Let him steal a bicycle". Learn the imperative (affirmative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. It uses the subjunctive forms, so it looks different from the affirmative commands. For robar, the imperative (negative) looks like this in a real sentence: No robes un banco — "Don't steal a bank". Learn the imperative (negative) forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with robar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Yo robo la cartera — "I steal the wallet"
- Él roba una bicicleta — "He steals a bicycle"
- Yo robé un banco — "I stole a bank"
- Yo robaba la cartera — "I used to steal the wallet"
- Tú robarás una bicicleta — "You will steal a bicycle"
- Yo robaría un banco — "I would steal a bank"
- Él ha robado la cartera — "He has stolen the wallet"
- Espero que él robe una bicicleta — "I hope he steals a bicycle"
- Yo había robado un banco — "I had stolen a bank"
- Ellos robaban la cartera — "They used to steal the wallet"
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Ellos roba una bicicleta — Right: Ellos roban una bicicleta — Ellos needs the ellos form roban. The singular roba belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo robo — Right: Ayer, yo robé — The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to robé.
- Wrong: De niño, yo robé todos los días. — Right: Todos los días, yo robaba — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (robaba), not the preterite. The preterite (robé) is for one finished action.
- Wrong: Yo soy robado un banco. — Right: Yo he robado un banco. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he robado, has robado, ha robado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: Espero que él roba una bicicleta. — Right: Espero que él robe una bicicleta. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: robe. The indicative roba is wrong here.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on robar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una bicicleta. (present tense) A. habríais robado B. habían robado C. robo D. habíais robado
Complete the sentence: Él ___ una bicicleta. (preterite) A. robó B. robamos C. roben D. robaron
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una bicicleta. (imperfect) A. hemos robado B. roban C. robábamos D. habrás robado
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ una bicicleta. (future) A. robarás B. robaran C. habrán robado D. habrías robado
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ una bicicleta. (conditional) A. robaría B. robamos C. robo D. habíamos robado
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ una bicicleta. (present subjunctive) A. robaremos B. robas C. robe D. robabas
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una bicicleta, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. habrías robado B. habremos robado C. robara D. robarás
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ una bicicleta. (present perfect) A. robé B. hemos robado C. has robado D. robaré
Complete the command: No ___ una bicicleta. (negative imperative, tú) A. robe B. robes C. roben D. robéis
Which is the gerund of robar, used with estar for the progressive? A. robado B. robé C. robando D. robaré
Answer key
- robo — The yo present tense of robar is robo.
- robó — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of robar is robó.
- robábamos — The nosotros/as imperfect of robar is robábamos.
- robarás — The tú future of robar is robarás.
- robaría — The yo conditional of robar is robaría.
- robe — The él/ella/Ud. present subjunctive of robar is robe.
- robara — The yo imperfect subjunctive, -ra form of robar is robara.
- hemos robado — The nosotros/as present perfect of robar is hemos robado.
- robes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: robes.
- robando — The gerund of robar is robando: estoy robando. The participle robado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does robar mean in English?
Robar means to steal, to rob. It is used in everyday situations such as Yo robo una bicicleta. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is robar regular?
Yes. Robar is a regular -ar verb: robo, robas, roba. The only thing to learn is the pattern of endings, which is the same for every regular -ar verb.
What is the gerund and the past participle of robar?
The gerund is robando, used with estar for the progressive: estoy robando. The past participle is robado, used with haber in the perfect tenses: he robado.
How do I say “I steal” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: Yo robé un banco. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: Yo robaba la cartera. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: Yo he robado una bicicleta.
How do I practise robar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the robar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Robar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for robar.
- Robar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for robar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Rodar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with robar.
- Rodear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with robar.
- Roncar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with robar.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.