captar

Captar is a Spanish verb with a range of related meanings, including to capture or seize physically, to attract or obtain, to perceive or understand, and to photograph or record. In everyday use it appears in expressions such as captar la atención (to attract attention), captar clientes (to attract customers), captar fondos (to raise funds), captar una imagen (to capture an image), and captar un mensaje (to grasp a message). It can also mean to pick up a signal or data, as in captar una señal.

Etymology and sense development: The verb derives from Latin captare, a frequentative form of capere, meaning to take or seize. Over time, captar broadened from a literal sense of taking to encompass figurative meanings such as understanding, acquiring resources, or recording.

Conjugation and usage: Captar is a regular -ar verb. Present indicative forms are: yo capto, tú captas, él capta, nosotros captamos, vosotros captáis, ellos captan. Other tenses follow standard -ar patterns: pretérito perfecto simple capté, captaste, captó, captamos, captasteis, captaron; imperfecto captaba, captabas, captaba, captábamos, captabais, captaban. Subjunctive present capture, captures, capture, capturemos, captéis, capturen. Imperative capta, no captures, capture, capturemos, captaos/captad, capturen.

Related terms and distinctions: Captar is often contrasted with capturar, which can carry a more literal or forceful sense of capture. The noun captura denotes the act of capturing, while captación refers to the act of attracting or obtaining resources. The term is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions in both everyday and technical contexts.