Hold your non-dominant arm horizontally across your chest. Form a 'V' shape with your dominant hand and place it near your non-dominant elbow. Slide your dominant hand quickly along the arm toward your non-dominant wrist, bending your index and middle fingers into a hook shape as you pull away. The motion should look like you are stealthily snatching something.
Sign 'someone', point to the person for 'your', sign 'pen', and then perform the sign for 'steal'. Make sure to raise your eyebrows and lean forward slightly to show you are asking a yes/no question.
Sign 'dog', point to yourself for 'my', sign 'food', and then use the sign for 'steal'. You can use a slightly frustrated facial expression to match the meaning of the sentence.
Sign 'store', then sign 'steal', and follow it with a firm head shake or the sign for 'don't'. Keep your expression serious to emphasize the negative command.
Sign 'someone', point to the person for 'your', sign 'pen', and then perform the sign for 'steal'. Make sure to raise your eyebrows and lean forward slightly to show you are asking a yes/no question.
Sign 'dog', point to yourself for 'my', sign 'food', and then use the sign for 'steal'. You can use a slightly frustrated facial expression to match the meaning of the sentence.
Sign 'store', then sign 'steal', and follow it with a firm head shake or the sign for 'don't'. Keep your expression serious to emphasize the negative command.
Yes! A quick, sharp movement emphasizes the suddenness of stealing. If you sign it too slowly, it loses the visual impact of snatching something away and might look like a different gesture.
Yes, this sign is often used for 'rob.' To sign 'thief,' you would perform the sign for 'steal' and immediately follow it with the 'person' marker (sliding both flat hands downward parallel to your body) to indicate 'a person who steals.'
Your non-dominant arm should always act as the stationary base across your body. Your dominant hand is the one that performs the moving, snatching action along the arm.
