ladrones
“ladrones” means “thieves” in Spanish (general term for people who steal).
thieves, robbers
Also: burglars, crooks
📝 In Action
Los ladrones escaparon con el dinero del banco.
A2The robbers escaped with the bank's money.
Necesitamos más seguridad para evitar a los ladrones.
A2We need more security to keep out the thieves.
La policía atrapó a dos de los ladrones anoche.
B1The police caught two of the burglars last night.
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: ladrones
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses the word 'ladrones'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
This word traces its roots back to the Latin word *latro*. Initially, *latro* meant a 'hired soldier' or 'mercenary,' but it later evolved in Latin to mean 'robber' or 'highwayman,' eventually giving us the modern Spanish word.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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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.