How to Say "captured" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “captured” is “atrapó” — use 'atrapó' when referring to physically catching or apprehending someone or something, like catching a ball or a fleeing suspect..
atrapó
/ah-tra-POH//a.tɾaˈpo/
Examples
El policía atrapó al ladrón en la calle.
The police officer caught the thief in the street.
El jugador atrapó la pelota con una mano.
The player caught the ball with one hand.
La policía atrapó al ladrón en el callejón.
The police caught the thief in the alley.
Talking about the past
The ending '-ó' tells you that a single action happened and finished in the past. It specifically refers to 'he,' 'she,' or 'it' doing the action.
The Importance of the Accent
The accent mark on the 'ó' is vital. Without it, 'atrapo' means 'I catch' (present). With it, 'atrapó' means 'he/she caught' (past).
Mixing up the person
Mistake: “Using 'atrapó' to mean 'I caught'.”
Correction: For 'I caught', use 'atrapé'. 'Atrapó' is only for someone else (he, she, you formal).
capturado
kahp-too-RAH-doh/kap.tuˈɾa.ðo/
Examples
El tesoro robado fue finalmente capturado.
The stolen treasure was finally captured.
El criminal fue capturado anoche por la policía.
The criminal was captured last night by the police.
La imagen capturada era de muy baja resolución.
The captured image was very low resolution.
Los documentos capturados contenían información sensible.
The seized documents contained sensitive information.
Gender and Number Match
As an adjective, 'capturado' must always match the noun it describes. If the noun is feminine (like 'la ladrona'), it becomes 'capturada'. If it's plural (like 'los peces'), it becomes 'capturados'.
tomó
toh-MOH/toˈmo/
Examples
Las fuerzas rebeldes tomaron la capital.
The rebel forces took the capital.
El dictador tomó el poder hace veinte años.
The dictator seized power twenty years ago.
La policía tomó la casa después del asalto.
The police took control of the house after the assault.
Figurative Use
When used with abstract nouns like 'control' or 'responsabilidad', 'tomó' means to start carrying out a duty or to capture authority.
Verb vs. Adjective Confusion
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