Inklingo
Dictionary

captar

kap-TARkapˈtaɾ

“captar” means “to pick up” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:

to pick upB1Verb

signals, sound, or images

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to graspB2Verb

understanding an idea

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to attractC1Verb

customers, attention, or interest

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to pick upAlso: to receive, to capture

VerbB1regular ar
A satellite dish on a green hill pointing towards the sky.
gerundcaptando
past Participlecaptado
infinitivecaptar

📝 In Action

La antena no logra captar la señal de televisión.

B1

The antenna can't manage to pick up the TV signal.

El micrófono captó todos los ruidos de la calle.

B1

The microphone picked up all the noises from the street.

Esta cámara capta imágenes con mucha luz.

B2

This camera captures images with a lot of light.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • captar una señal – to pick up a signal
  • captar el sonido – to pick up sound

to graspAlso: to get, to perceive

VerbB2regular ar
A person with a glowing yellow light bulb appearing above their head.
gerundcaptando
past Participlecaptado
infinitivecaptar

📝 In Action

¿Captaste el chiste o te lo explico?

B1

Did you get the joke or should I explain it to you?

Captó de inmediato que algo andaba mal.

B2

He realized immediately that something was wrong.

Es difícil captar la ironía en otro idioma.

C1

It's difficult to grasp irony in another language.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • captar la idea – to get the idea
  • captar la esencia – to grasp the essence

Idioms & Expressions

  • ¿Captas? – Do you get it? / Do you follow me?

to attractAlso: to win over, to recruit

VerbC1regular ar
A colorful storefront with a bright open sign and people walking toward it.
gerundcaptando
past Participlecaptado
infinitivecaptar

📝 In Action

La campaña logró captar muchos clientes nuevos.

B2

The campaign managed to attract many new customers.

Queremos captar la atención de los jóvenes.

B2

We want to catch the attention of young people.

El partido político busca captar más votos en el norte.

C1

The political party is looking to win more votes in the north.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • captar la atención – to catch the attention
  • captar clientes – to attract/gain clients
  • captar fondos – to raise/collect funds

Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

yocaptara
túcaptaras
él/ella/ustedcaptara
nosotroscaptáramos
vosotroscaptarais
ellos/ellas/ustedescaptaran

Present Subjunctive

yocapte
túcaptes
él/ella/ustedcapte
nosotroscaptemos
vosotroscaptéis
ellos/ellas/ustedescapten

Indicative

Preterite

yocapté
túcaptaste
él/ella/ustedcaptó
nosotroscaptamos
vosotroscaptasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedescaptaron

Imperfect

yocaptaba
túcaptabas
él/ella/ustedcaptaba
nosotroscaptábamos
vosotroscaptabais
ellos/ellas/ustedescaptaban

Present

yocapto
túcaptas
él/ella/ustedcapta
nosotroscaptamos
vosotroscaptáis
ellos/ellas/ustedescaptan
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "captar" in Spanish:

to attractto captureto getto graspto perceiveto receiveto recruit

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: captar

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence means 'I didn't get the joke'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
la captura(capture/arrest) — Noun
la captación(attraction/collection/gathering) — Noun
capturable(capable of being captured) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes
adaptarsaltarcantar
📚 Etymology

From Latin 'captare', which means 'to try to seize' or 'to catch'. This is a frequentative form of 'capere' (to take/capture).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: captureFrench: capterItalian: captare

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'captar' regular or irregular?

It is a perfectly regular -ar verb. It follows the same pattern as 'hablar' or 'cantar' in all tenses.

Can I use 'captar' to mean 'to arrest someone'?

No, for arrests you should use 'capturar' or 'detener'. 'Captar' is for signals, ideas, or attracting attention.

How do I say 'Screenshot' using this word?

A screenshot is called 'una captura de pantalla', which comes from the same word family as 'captar'.