Capturan

Capturan is the third-person plural form of the Spanish verb capturar in the present indicative. It indicates that multiple subjects perform the action of capturing or seizing something, which can refer to apprehending a person, taking control of an object, or recording something in various contexts. For example: “Los policías capturan a los sospechosos” (the police capture the suspects) or “Las cámaras capturan imágenes” (the cameras capture images). The meaning can extend to sports or games—such as capturing a flag—or to situations involving data or media, like capturing a screenshot or capturing data from a sensor.

Etymology and grammar: capturar comes from the Latin capturare, itself from capere, meaning to seize or take. It is a transitive verb and typically requires a direct object or a prepositional phrase with a. The form capturan specifically marks a plural subject in the present tense. The corresponding forms include capturo (yo), capturas (tú), captura (él/ella/usted), capturamos (nosotros), and capturan (ellos/ellas/ustedes). The latter is used with both formal and informal plural subjects in Spanish-speaking regions.

Usage notes: Capturan is common in news reporting, law enforcement discourse, and everyday language when describing actions by groups. In Spain and Latin America, the form is used with both “ellos/ellas” and “ustedes” as the subject. While the core meaning centers on seizing or capturing, it is also extended metaphorically to mean “to capture attention” or “to capture data” in technological contexts.