robar Preterite Conjugation
robar — to steal
The preterite of robar is regular: robé, robaste, robó, robamos, robasteis, robaron.
robar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite for a specific instance of theft that happened at a definite point in time, like 'someone stole my phone yesterday.'
Notes on robar in the Preterite
Robar is regular in the preterite. Note that 'robamos' is the same in both present and preterite; context tells you if it's 'we steal' or 'we stole'.
Example Sentences
Alguien me robó la cartera en el metro.
Someone stole my wallet on the subway.
él/ella/usted
Ayer robamos el show con nuestra actuación.
Yesterday we stole the show with our performance.
nosotros
Me robaste el corazón.
You stole my heart.
tú
Common Mistakes
Mistake: el robo
Correct: él robó
Why: Without the accent on the 'ó', 'robo' means 'I steal' or 'a robbery'. The accent is vital for the third-person past tense.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'robar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: robo
The present tense of robar follows standard -ar patterns: robo, robas, roba, robamos, robáis, roban.
Imperfect
yo: robaba
The imperfect of robar is regular, using the -aba ending for all forms like robaba, robabas, and robábamos.
Future
yo: robaré
The future tense of robar is formed by adding -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the infinitive.
Conditional
yo: robaría
The conditional of robar uses the infinitive plus -ía endings: robaría, robarías, robaría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: robe
The present subjunctive of robar changes the 'a' to 'e': robe, robes, robe, robemos, robéis, roben.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: robara
The imperfect subjunctive of robar uses the -ra endings: robara, robaras, robara, robáramos...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: ¡Roba!
Affirmative commands for robar are: roba (tú), robe (usted), robad (vosotros), roben (ustedes).
Negative Imperative
yo: ¡No robes!
Negative commands use 'no' plus the present subjunctive: no robes, no robe, no robemos.