How to Say "capture" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “capture” is “atrapar” — use 'atrapar' when describing the physical act of catching or trapping a moving person, animal, or object..
atrapar
/a-tra-par//a.tɾaˈpaɾ/
Examples
El policía logró atrapar al ladrón que huía.
The police officer managed to catch the fleeing thief.
El jardinero logró atrapar a la ardilla en la jaula.
The gardener managed to catch the squirrel in the cage.
Tienes que saltar muy alto para atrapar esa pelota.
You have to jump very high to catch that ball.
Direct Object
The thing being caught (the direct object) often follows the verb directly: 'atrapar la pelota' (catch the ball).
captura
kahp-TOO-rah/kapˈtuɾa/
Examples
La captura del sospechoso fue un éxito para el equipo.
The capture of the suspect was a success for the team.
La policía celebró la captura del ladrón después de meses de búsqueda.
The police celebrated the capture of the thief after months of searching.
¿Me puedes enviar una captura de pantalla de esa conversación?
Can you send me a screenshot of that conversation?
La captura de datos es vital para este análisis.
Data capture is vital for this analysis.
Gender Tip
Remember that 'captura' is always feminine, so you must use feminine articles and adjectives with it (e.g., 'una captura rápida' — a quick capture).
Mixing Noun and Verb
Mistake: “Using 'captura' when you mean the action of capturing: *Quiero captura el momento*.”
Correction: Use the verb form 'capturar': 'Quiero capturar el momento' (I want to capture the moment). 'Captura' is the result or the act itself, not the base verb.
Verb vs. Noun Confusion
Related Translations
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