atrapados

Atrapados is the plural form of the Spanish adjective atrapado, meaning someone or something that has been captured or trapped. As a participial adjective, atrapado describes a state resulting from an act of catching or ensnaring, and its gender and number agree with the noun it modifies: atrapado (masculine singular), atrapada (feminine singular), atrapados (masculine plural), atrapadas (feminine plural). The term can also function as a noun phrase, for example los atrapados, referring to people or things that are trapped.

Usage and meaning

Atrapados is used to indicate physical entrapment, such as being trapped in a confined space, as well as figurative entrapment, including being trapped by circumstances, by consent, or by a situation. The expression can appear with estar to emphasize a current state (están atrapados) or with quedar to note a temporary condition (quedaron atrapados). When used in passive constructions, it often appears with ser or haber in compound tenses: han sido atrapados, fueron atrapados.

Etymology

The adjective atrapado derives from the verb atrapar, which comes from the Romance language family and ultimately traces back to Latin roots related to capere, meaning to seize or take. The form atrapados reflects standard Spanish agreement patterns for masculine plural nouns and adjectives.

Cultural usage

Atrapados is a common thematic or titular element in Spanish-language media, appearing in lyrics, film, and literature to evoke themes of capture, constraint, or urgency. It is frequently employed as a descriptive or symbolic motif rather than a fixed title with a single canonical reference. See also atrapar, atrapamiento, captura.