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rubare

to steal; to rob

verb roo-BAH-reh Less Common

Origin: Germanic *raubon (to plunder)

Usage Note

Rubare takes the thing stolen as its direct object: mi hanno rubato il portafoglio (they stole my wallet). The person robbed is the indirect object. Note the Germanic origin — a reminder that many Italian words relating to war and plunder entered via the Lombards. It takes avere in compound tenses and is a regular first-conjugation verb.

Examples

"Qualcuno mi ha rubato la bicicletta."

Natural Translation

Someone stole my bicycle.

Literal Translation

Someone to-me has stolen the bicycle.

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