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An illustration of two cartoonish figures, dressed in striped shirts and black eye masks, running quickly while carrying a single large, bulging sack over their shoulders, symbolizing stolen goods.

ladrones

lah-DROH-nes

nounmA2
thieves?general term for people who steal,robbers?people who steal, often using force
Also:burglars?people who break into a building to steal,crooks?informal term for criminals

📝 In Action

Los ladrones escaparon con el dinero del banco.

A2

The robbers escaped with the bank's money.

Necesitamos más seguridad para evitar a los ladrones.

A2

We need more security to keep out the thieves.

La policía atrapó a dos de los ladrones anoche.

B1

The police caught two of the burglars last night.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • cacos (crooks (informal))
  • asaltantes (assailants/muggers)

Antonyms

  • policías (police officers)
  • víctimas (victims)

Common Collocations

  • banda de ladrones – gang of thieves
  • atrapar a los ladrones – to catch the thieves

💡 Grammar Points

Masculine Plural

Even though 'ladrones' is the masculine plural form, it is used to refer to any group of thieves, whether they are all male or a mix of male and female.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Accent Mark Confusion

Mistake: "Using the accent mark from the singular form: *ladrónes*"

Correction: The accent mark is dropped in the plural: 'ladrones'. This is because the stress naturally shifts to the second-to-last syllable when you add '-es'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Base Word

The singular form is 'ladrón' (for a male thief) and the feminine singular is 'ladrona' (for a female thief).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: ladrones

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses the word 'ladrones'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

ladrón(thief (male, singular)) - noun
ladrona(thief (female, singular)) - noun
robar(to steal) - verb
robo(theft/robbery) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the accent mark disappear when I make 'ladrón' plural?

In Spanish, the written accent (tilde) is used to show where the voice stress falls when it breaks the normal stress pattern. The singular 'ladrón' needs the accent to stress the final syllable. When you add '-es' to make it 'ladrones', the stress naturally moves to the 'o' (the second-to-last syllable), which follows the standard Spanish stress rules, so the accent mark is no longer needed.