Those Men Are Going to Steal That Car in Spanish | Say It Like A Local

“Esos hombres van a robar ese coche” is a clear, natural way to say it, with small word swaps depending on distance, region, and how certain you are.

You’ve got an English sentence that’s packed with meaning: who, what, and a strong sense that the action is about to happen. Spanish can match that feel, but the best wording depends on two quick choices:

• How you point to “those men” (near, mid-distance, far, or already mentioned).
• Which word you use for “car” in the place where your reader lives.

Once you pick those, the rest is smooth.

Best Direct Translation You Can Use Right Away

If you want a clean line that works in most places, go with:

Esos hombres van a robar ese coche.

It maps tightly to the English sentence:

• Esos hombres = those men
• van a robar = are going to steal
• ese coche = that car

Spanish lets you keep the subject up front, just like English. You can also drop the subject if context already tells you who you mean, but when you’re warning someone, naming the subject keeps it crisp.

Those Men Are Going to Steal That Car in Spanish: Natural Options

English “those” can point to people at a mid distance, or people you’ve already identified. Spanish has a few choices, and each one signals a slightly different angle.

Choosing The Right “Those Men”

Here are the common picks:

• Esos hombres: “those men” at a mid distance, or the ones you and the listener are both tracking.
• Estos hombres: “these men” close to you, often used when they’re right there.
• Aquellos hombres: “those men over there,” farther away, or mentally “farther” from the speaker.

If your sentence starts because you spot them across the street, esos or aquellos is often the fit. If they’re two steps away, estos can match the urgency.

If you want a quick, official refresher on how Spanish demonstratives point to distance and context, RAE’s style and usage notes on demonstratives (este, ese, aquel) lay out the system in plain language.

Choosing The Right “That Car”

Spanish has several daily words for “car.” Pick what sounds normal where you are:

• coche: common in Spain.
• carro: common in much of Latin America.
• auto: used in many countries, often in cities and in news or formal speech.

“That” follows the same pointing logic as “those.” You’ll most often use ese/esa/eso, or aquel/aquella/aquello. For a car: ese coche, ese carro, ese auto.

Picking A Verb For “Steal” That Matches The Scene

Robar is the standard verb for “to steal.” The Real Academia Española defines robar as taking what belongs to someone else, often by force. Use it when you want the plain meaning. See RAE’s definition of “robar” for the formal sense.

In street talk, Spanish also uses verbs that paint a slightly different picture:

• llevarse: “to take away,” often used when the act is obvious from context. “Se van a llevar ese coche.”
• quitar: “to take off/away,” can work when the focus is on removing the item from the owner. “Te van a quitar el coche.”

If you’re warning a friend in real time, se lo van a llevar can sound natural and direct.

How “Van A + Infinitive” Works In Real Speech

The engine of this sentence is ir a + infinitive. It’s the Spanish pattern that signals a coming action, often tied to intention, prediction, or something that looks close. The Nueva gramática de la lengua española describes many uses of ir a + infinitivo in daily speech, including warnings and announcements of something about to happen. You can skim the official grammar note at RAE’s section on “ir a + infinitivo”.

In your sentence, van a robar carries the same punch as “are going to steal.” It can sound like:

• A warning you’re confident about: “They’re about to do it.”
• A strong prediction based on what you see: “This looks like a theft in motion.”
• A stated plan if you’re quoting them: “They said they’re going to steal it.”

The form is simple: conjugate ir for the subject, add a, then the main verb in infinitive.

Fast Conjugation Check For “Ir” In This Sentence

You only need the ellos/ellas/ustedes form here: van. Still, it helps to see the full present set once so you don’t trip over it later:

• yo voy
• tú vas
• él/ella/usted va
• nosotros/nosotras vamos
• vosotros/vosotras vais (common in Spain)
• ellos/ellas/ustedes van

So “Those men are going to steal…” lands as Esos hombres van a robar…

Regional And Tone Swaps That Sound Natural

Spanish is shared across many countries, so this one sentence has a handful of normal variants. None are “wrong.” They just sound more local in different places.

One more note: in many areas, ustedes is the standard “you (plural).” In Spain, vosotros is common in casual speech. That doesn’t change your sentence, but it affects nearby phrases if you keep talking.

What You Want To Say	Spanish Option	When It Fits
Neutral, widely understood	Esos hombres van a robar ese coche.	General warning, no special flavor
Spain-leaning “car” word	Esos hombres van a robar ese coche.	Spain, or Spanish learned from Spain
Latin America “car” word	Esos hombres van a robar ese carro.	Mexico, Central America, many others
Short, punchy street warning	¡Se van a robar ese carro!	You’re reacting in the moment
Aiming At “take it away”	Se van a llevar ese coche.	When the act is obvious from context
Pointing farther away	Aquellos hombres van a robar aquel coche.	They’re farther away, or you’re distancing them
Close, right in front of you	Estos hombres van a robar este coche.	They’re close, like across the hood
More formal / report style	Esos hombres van a sustraer ese vehículo.	Police report tone, news tone

Making The Sentence Sound Like Something People Say

English often keeps “that” and “those” even when the listener can see what you mean. Spanish speakers do that too, but they also lean on context and gesture. If you’re pointing at the car, you can shave words without losing clarity.

Dropping The Subject When It’s Obvious

If both of you are already watching the men, you can say:

Van a robar ese coche.

The verb ending already marks “they,” so the sentence still stands on its own.

Adding A Quick Warning Hook

If you’re shouting a heads-up, a short opener can help:

• ¡Oye! Esos hombres van a robar ese coche.
• ¡Eh! Van a robar ese carro.

That first word buys you a half-second of attention.

Marking Certainty Without Overdoing It

Sometimes you’re not 100% sure. Spanish can soften the claim while staying natural:

• Parece que esos hombres van a robar ese coche. (It looks like…)
• Creo que esos hombres van a robar ese carro. (I think…)

Use these when you’re reading signs, not witnessing the act itself.

Word Order And Pronouns That Keep It Smooth

Spanish gives you a few clean ways to aim the listener’s attention. You can put the car first if that’s what matters most in the moment.

Putting The Car First

Ese coche lo van a robar.

This structure is common when you’re pointing at the car. Lo echoes ese coche. It’s a neat way to stress the object without sounding stiff.

Using “A” With People As A Direct Object Marker

Not needed in your base sentence, but it comes up fast in related lines. If you say “They’re going to rob that guy,” Spanish uses the personal a:

Van a robar a ese hombre.

This is a core rule taught in standard grammar, and it helps you avoid a common learner slip. The Diccionario panhispánico de dudas is a solid place to check usage questions like this; start at RAE’s Diccionario panhispánico de dudas and search the term you need.

Common Learner Mistakes With This Sentence

This line looks simple, yet a few traps show up a lot.

Skipping “A” After “Van”

In casual speech you might hear “van robar” from some speakers, but in careful writing and in standard Spanish, the pattern keeps the a: van a robar. If you want a firm reference on the pattern, the RAE’s grammar notes on the periphrasis back it up.

Mixing Up “Ese” And “Este”

If you mix them, your meaning still lands, but the pointing logic gets fuzzy. A quick fix is to match your gesture:

• If it’s near you: este
• If it’s near the listener or mid distance: ese
• If it’s far: aquel

Picking A Car Word That Sounds Foreign In Your Region

If you say coche in a place where people say carro, you’ll still be understood, but it can sound bookish. If you’re writing for a mixed audience, auto is often the neutral middle.

Quick Swap Builder For Your Own Versions

Once you know the slots, you can build clean versions fast. Think of it as three parts: demonstrative + noun, ir + a + verb, demonstrative + car word.

Slot	Choices	Resulting Mini-Phrase
Those men	Estos / Esos / Aquellos + hombres	Esos hombres
Going to	van a + infinitive	van a robar
That car	ese + coche / carro / auto	ese carro
Steal (plain)	robar	van a robar
Steal (take away)	llevarse	se van a llevar
More formal verb	sustraer	van a sustraer
Vehicle word (formal)	vehículo	ese vehículo

Two Polished Final Options For Most Readers

If you want to publish one main translation and one regional alternate, these two fit a wide audience:

• Esos hombres van a robar ese coche.
• Esos hombres van a robar ese carro.

If the sentence is part of dialogue, add punctuation to match urgency: “¡Esos hombres van a robar ese carro!” Spanish uses the opening exclamation mark too.