Spice level
Casual - friends and peers.
Quick Answer
A ratero is a petty thief - somebody who takes small things by stealth, which in Mexico City usually means a pickpocket on the Metro or in a market. Rata is the harder short form, and it is what Mexicans call corrupt officials.
- A ratero is a thief who takes small things quietly - a pickpocket, or somebody who goes into your bag.
- Me robaron is I was robbed; me asaltaron is I was held up. The second is the one that matters when reporting.
- Do not shout it at somebody in a crowd. It can turn into a mob, and that has ended badly in Mexico.
What it means
A thief who works quietly and small. Pockets, bags, phones, a laptop left on a chair - the crime you are statistically likely to meet in a city where most days are entirely ordinary, and the one you usually notice afterwards rather than during.
It is a real accusation rather than a colorful word. Between friends it can be a joke - *ratero*, aimed at whoever took your fries - but pointed at a stranger it is an act rather than a description.
Literal meaning
From rata, a rat, and the dictionary sense is specific: somebody who steals things of little value with cunning and stealth. That is a fairly exact description of how it gets used in Mexico.
Rata on its own is the short form and it has taken on a political life. Son unas ratas said about a government is completely ordinary Mexican speech, and it means the theft was institutional rather than manual.
Who says ratero to whom
- A victimfriends, about a theftMe robaron unos rateros. Completely ordinary, and names nobody.
- A strangeryou, as a warningAguas, aquí hay rateros. This is a kindness and it is worth acting on.
- Anybodya governmentSon unas ratas. Standard Mexican political register, and not an exaggeration.
- Anybodya person in a crowdShouted, it is an alarm rather than a word. What happens next is not up to whoever shouted.
Is ratero rude, or affectionate?
Warm
- Aguas, aquí hay rateros - a warning from a stranger, and a kindness
- Me robaron unos rateros - a neutral report of what happened
Rude
- Ese güey es ratero, said about somebody present - an accusation, not a description
- ¡Ratero! shouted in a crowd - an alarm that calls a crowd to one person
The word is not rude in itself. What makes it dangerous is pointing it, and where.
How Mexicans use it
About the Metro and the markets it is the default word. Hay muchos rateros en esa línea is practical advice rather than a complaint.
In the news it alternates with carterista and bolseador. Carterista is the precise term for somebody who works pockets, and it is the one press coverage uses.
About politicians it is constant, usually in the short form. This is where a foreigner hears it most and understands it least - it is not hyperbole in Mexican political speech, it is the standard register.
Shouted, it is an alarm. ¡Ratero! in a crowded place is a call for everybody to look at one person, and what happens next is out of the hands of whoever shouted.
Examples
- Me robaron el celular en el Metro, puros rateros.They stole my phone on the Metro, nothing but thieves.
- Aguas con la mochila, aquí hay rateros.Watch your backpack, there are pickpockets here.
- Son unas ratas, se llevaron el presupuesto.They're crooks, they took the whole budget.
- No me asaltaron, fue un carterista.I wasn't mugged, it was a pickpocket.
Who can you say ratero to?
- Where you areWhy
- With friends✓FineDescribing a crime, completely normal. Nobody blinks at me robaron unos rateros.
- Around family✓FineSame. It is the ordinary word for what happened.
- At work!CarefulNeutral about a theft. About a colleague it is an accusation rather than a joke, and it will be remembered.
- With strangers✕Don'tAimed at somebody in front of you in a crowd, this can gather a mob. Do not.
Tone and safety
Describing a crime it is completely neutral - me robaron unos rateros is an ordinary sentence in an ordinary conversation.
Aimed at a person in front of you it is an accusation with consequences. Researchers counted over three hundred lynchings in Mexico between 1988 and 2014, theft the commonest accusation, and a crowd can form in seconds. People have been beaten and burned alive. This is a documented pattern, not a hypothetical.
The advice every chilango gives is the same: if it has already happened, let it go. Call 911, block the handset by IMEI through your carrier, and file a denuncia at the Ministerio Público or online if you need it for insurance. Chasing somebody through a market is not a plan and the phone is not worth it.
Should you say ratero?
Use it, but read the room
Use it to describe what happened, never to point at a person. And if it has already happened: 911, block the phone by IMEI, file a denuncia if you need it for insurance - then let it go. Chasing somebody through a market is not a plan.
What to say instead of ratero
- Me robaronI was robbedThe neutral report, and it names no one.
- Me asaltaronI was muggedThe one to use if there was a threat. It is a different crime and a different report.
- CarteristaPickpocketPrecise, unemotional, and what the police report will say.
- Quiero levantar una denunciaI want to file a reportThe sentence you actually need at the Ministerio Público, and the one an insurer will ask for.
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
Using it when you mean asaltante. If somebody threatened you, that is an asalto, and the distinction is the first thing anybody taking a report will ask about.
Reading rata about politicians as an exaggeration. It is not - it is the ordinary Mexican word for that, and it is one of the most-used political insults in the country.
Don't sound gringo
a ratero steals small things quietly. do not shout the word at somebody - in a crowd it starts something you will not be able to stop.
The word covers the crime you are actually likely to meet. The DLE definition is a thief who takes small things by stealth, and in CDMX that means the carterista on the Metro, the bolseador working a market aisle - no weapon, no confrontation, and usually you notice twenty minutes later.
That is a different word from what you want if somebody threatens you. Me robaron is I was robbed; me asaltaron is I was held up, and the second one is the sentence that matters when you report anything or tell an insurer.
Rata is the short, harder form and it has gone political. Son unas ratas about officials is one of the most ordinary insults in Mexican public life, and it is not softer than ratero - it is blunter.
The practical part is boring and it works: bag in front of you in a full car, phone not in a back pocket, and know that pickpockets work in groups - the classic move is one person bumping you so your hands come up while another takes the thing.
Do not shout it. Researchers counted more than three hundred lynchings in Mexico between 1988 and 2014, with theft the commonest accusation and Edomex and CDMX at the top of the list. People have been beaten and burned alive after exactly that shout. This is not a colorful warning.
If it happens: 911, block the handset by IMEI through your carrier, and file a denuncia at the Ministerio Público or online - you will need it for any insurance claim, and the page you are about to argue with will ask whether it was robo or asalto. Then let it go. Most of CDMX is ordinary, and the version of this you are likely to meet costs you a phone rather than a confrontation.
Where you'll hear it
- A full carriage, a shove that seems accidental, and hands going up
- A bag being moved from a shoulder to a chest without anybody saying anything
- A pocket patted at the top of the stairs, and then patted again
- The word used four times in one news segment about a state government
FAQ
What does ratero mean?
A petty thief - somebody who takes small things quietly. In Mexico City that usually means a pickpocket on the Metro or in a market.
What is the difference between ratero and asaltante?
A weapon and a confrontation. Me robaron is I was robbed; me asaltaron is I was mugged, and that distinction is the first thing anybody taking a report will ask.
What does rata mean about a politician?
Crook. It is not hyperbole in Mexican public speech - it is the ordinary register for talking about official corruption.
Is ratero a joke word?
No. It is a real accusation, and calling somebody a ratero to their face is an act rather than a description.
Should I shout ¡ratero! if I'm robbed?
No. It calls a crowd to one person in seconds, and researchers counted over three hundred lynchings in Mexico between 1988 and 2014 with theft the commonest accusation. Call 911 and block the phone instead.
What is a carterista?
The precise word for a pickpocket, and the one press coverage uses. Every carterista is a ratero; not every ratero works pockets.
How do pickpockets work on the Metro?
In groups, using distraction. The classic move is one person bumping you so your hands come up while another takes the thing.
Is ratero a bad word?
Use it to describe what happened, never to point at a person. And if it has already happened: 911, block the phone by IMEI, file a denuncia if you need it for insurance - then let it go. Chasing somebody through a market is not a plan.
Can you say ratero at work?
Not without reading the room first. Neutral about a theft. About a colleague it is an accusation rather than a joke, and it will be remembered.
Is it rude to say ratero to someone you don't know?
No. Aimed at somebody in front of you in a crowd, this can gather a mob. Do not.
ratero vs asaltante, carterista and rata
raterovsasaltante
The one with a weapon. Me asaltaron means you were held up; me robaron is the general one. A ratero works quietly and does not confront you, and mixing the two up matters when you are reporting anything.Page coming soonraterovscarterista
The precise word for a pickpocket, and what the press uses. Every carterista is a ratero; not every ratero works pockets.Page coming soonraterovsrata
Shorter and harder, not softer. Son unas ratas about politicians is standard Mexican public speech, and it is the form the word takes when the theft is institutional.Page coming soonraterovschueco
About the object rather than the person - a chueco phone is one with a bad history. A ratero is who it came from.
Related words
The one thing
a ratero is a petty thief - the quiet kind, on the metro or in a market. me asaltaron is the word if there was a threat. rata is what mexicans call corrupt officials. never shout it at anyone.
Sources
- Dictionaryratero, rateraDiccionario de la lengua españolaStealing small things with cunning and stealth - which is exactly how Mexicans use it.
- InstitutionMirada Legislativa 176: robos en transportes públicos colectivosInstituto Belisario Domínguez, Senado de la RepúblicaPublic-transport theft as the Mexican Senate's own research service describes it.
- PressCarterista explica su modus operandi para robar celulares en el Metro de la CDMXMilenioHow the groups actually work, from the other side.
- PressAsí es el modus operandi de los carteristas en el Centro de la CDMXLa Silla RotaWhere in the city it concentrates, and the distraction move to watch for.
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