My phone was stolen.
Stress 'ru-BA-to'. 'Mi hanno rubato' = they stole from me.
Use this to explain why you're unreachable, to report to police, or to call your phone provider to block your SIM card.
'Mi hanno rubato' = they stole to me (indirect object 'mi'). This is the Italian way of saying something was stolen from you — the indirect object pronoun indicates possession. 'Il telefono' = the phone. Also: 'mi hanno rubato il portafoglio' (my wallet was stolen).
Ho perso il telefono.
I lost my phone.
Lost vs stolen — important distinction.
Devo bloccare la SIM.
I need to block the SIM.
First action after theft.
Ho fatto denuncia ai carabinieri.
I filed a report with the Carabinieri.
Reporting to police.
Phone theft ('furto del cellulare') is a real concern in Italian cities, particularly in Rome, Naples, and on public transport. Italian police statistics report tens of thousands of phone thefts annually. Immediately blocking your SIM ('bloccare la SIM') and contacting your bank ('banca') for any mobile payment services is standard Italian advice. The Carabinieri can be reached at 112 for reporting theft.