How to Say "they robbed" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “they robbed” is “robaron” — use 'robaron' when referring to the act of stealing or robbing something, such as a place or an item, especially in a criminal context..
robaron
roh-BAH-rohn/roˈβaɾon/
Examples
Los ladrones robaron el banco ayer por la tarde.
The thieves robbed the bank yesterday afternoon.
Dicen que robaron la joyería anoche.
They say that they robbed the jewelry store last night.
Los niños robaron las galletas de la cocina.
The children stole the cookies from the kitchen.
¿A qué hora robaron el coche?
What time did they steal the car?
Action Completed in the Past
'Robaron' is the Simple Past tense (Preterite). It describes an action—the stealing—that started and finished completely at a specific time in the past (e.g., 'yesterday', 'last week').
Who Did the Action?
This form uses the 'they' verb ending (-aron). It refers to 'ellos' (they, masculine/mixed group), 'ellas' (they, feminine group), or 'ustedes' (you plural, formal).
Confusing Past Tenses
Mistake: “Using 'robaban' instead of 'robaron' when talking about a single, finished event.”
Correction: Use 'robaron' for a single completed action ('They stole the car last night'). Use 'robaban' (Imperfect) to describe a repeated or ongoing theft in the past ('They used to steal cars often').
quitaron
/kee-TAH-rohn//kiˈtaɾon/
Examples
Le quitaron el teléfono móvil porque no hizo sus deberes.
They took away his mobile phone because he didn't do his homework.
Ellos quitaron los platos de la mesa después de cenar.
They took the dishes off the table after dinner.
Ustedes me quitaron un gran peso de encima.
You all took a great weight off my shoulders.
Le quitaron el teléfono en el metro.
They took (robbed) his phone on the subway.
Who did it?
The ending '-aron' tells you that a group of people ('they' or 'you all') performed the action in the past.
Completed Action
This specific form is used for things that happened once and are completely finished, like removing a sign yesterday.
Taking off clothes
Mistake: “Using 'quitaron el abrigo' to mean they took off their own coats.”
Correction: Say 'se quitaron el abrigo'. Without the 'se,' it sounds like they took the coat off someone else!
Robaron vs. Quitaron
Related Translations
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