Captar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish
The present tense of captar — “to capture, to grasp” in English — is the form you need for what happens now, for habits and for general truths. This page gives you the full present conjugation table for captar with all six persons, explains exactly how the tense is formed for this verb, shows when to use it with real examples, and finishes with a quiz so you can test yourself. Captar means to capture or to grasp, and it covers grasping an idea, catching a radio signal, capturing an audience's attention and understanding the sense of a sentence. It is a regular -ar verb, common in learning, media and communication. Captar is a regular -ar verb, so the notes below explain exactly where it follows the rules and where it breaks them. To see it in a real sentence: Capto la idea a la primera.
Present tense conjugation table: captar
Every person of captar in the present tense. The gerund is captando and the past participle is captado.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | capto |
| tú | captas |
| él/ella/Ud. | capta |
| nosotros/as | captamos |
| vosotros/as | captáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | captan |
How the present of captar is formed
The present of captar is built from the stem capt- plus the present endings for -ar verbs. Take the infinitive, drop the -ar ending, and add the ending that matches the person. The table below shows the endings, and the full table above shows them attached to the stem.
| Person | Ending | Form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | capto |
| tú | -as | captas |
| él/ella/Ud. | -a | capta |
| nosotros/as | -amos | captamos |
| vosotros/as | -áis | captáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | -an | captan |
For captar there are no surprises in the present: every form is the stem capt- plus the regular ending, so once you know the endings you know the whole tense.
When to use the present tense with captar
Habits and routines
Use the present for things you do regularly.
Yo capto la idea a la primera. — I grasp the idea first time.
General facts
Use the present for facts and general truths that do not change.
Él/Ella capta la señal de la radio. — He grasps the radio signal.
What is happening right now
Use the present for what is happening at this moment.
Ahora, Nosotros/as captamos la atención del público. — Right now, We grasp the audience's attention.
Near-future plans
Use the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with mañana or la semana que viene.
Mañana, Tú captas el sentido de la frase. — Tomorrow, You grasp the sense of the sentence.
Instructions and timeless statements
Use the present for instructions, rules and statements that are always true.
Él/Ella capta la idea a la primera. — He grasps the idea first time.
The present vs the preterite
The present and the preterite answer different questions: the present says what happens regularly or right now, while the preterite says what happened once and finished. Compare the same idea in both tenses with captar.
- Yo capto la idea a la primera. — I grasp the idea first time. / Ayer, Yo capté la idea a la primera. — Yesterday, I grasped the idea first time.
- Yo capto la señal de la radio. — I grasp the radio signal. / Ayer, Yo capté la señal de la radio. — Yesterday, I grasped the radio signal.
- Yo capto la atención del público. — I grasp the audience's attention. / Ayer, Yo capté la atención del público. — Yesterday, I grasped the audience's attention.
Example sentences in the present tense
Seven sentences with captar in the present tense only, covering all six persons.
- Yo capto la idea a la primera. — I grasp the idea first time.
- Tú captas la señal de la radio. — You grasp the radio signal.
- Él/Ella capta la atención del público. — He grasps the audience's attention.
- Nosotros/as captamos el sentido de la frase. — We grasp the sense of the sentence.
- Vosotros/as captáis la idea a la primera. — You grasp the idea first time.
- Ellos/as captan la señal de la radio. — They grasp the radio signal.
- Yo capto la atención del público. — I grasp the audience's attention.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo capta la idea a la primera. — Right: Yo capto la idea a la primera. — The person matters: capta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is capto.
- Wrong: Ayer, yo capto la señal de la radio. — Right: Ayer, yo capté la señal de la radio. — With ayer, use the preterite (capté), not the present. The present is for habits and for right now.
- Wrong: Using captar where comprender belongs. — Right: Captar means to capture, to grasp, while comprender means to understand something. — Check the meaning before you choose: captar fits Capto la idea a la primera.
- Wrong: Espero que él capta la señal de la radio. — Right: Espero que él capte la señal de la radio. — After espero que, Spanish needs the subjunctive: capte, not the present indicative capta.
Quiz: the present tense of captar
Eight questions on the present tense of captar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la idea a la primera. (present tense, yo) A. capto B. captas C. capta D. captamos
Complete the sentence: Tú ___ la señal de la radio. (present tense, tú) A. capto B. capta C. captamos D. captas
Complete the sentence: Él/Ella ___ la atención del público. (present tense, él/ella/Ud.) A. captas B. captamos C. capta D. capto
Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ el sentido de la frase. (present tense, nosotros/as) A. capta B. captamos C. capto D. captas
Complete the sentence: Vosotros/as ___ la idea a la primera. (present tense, vosotros/as) A. captáis B. capto C. captas D. capta
Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la señal de la radio. (present tense, ellos/ellas/Uds.) A. capto B. captas C. capta D. captan
Which is the gerund of captar? A. capto B. capté C. captando D. captado
Which is the past participle of captar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. capté B. captado C. captando D. capto
Answer key
- capto — The yo present form of captar is capto.
- captas — The tú present form of captar is captas.
- capta — The él/ella/Ud. present form of captar is capta.
- captamos — The nosotros/as present form of captar is captamos.
- captáis — The vosotros/as present form of captar is captáis.
- captan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. present form of captar is captan.
- captando — The gerund of captar is captando: estoy captando.
- captado — The past participle of captar is captado: he captado, has captado, ha captado.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of captar formed?
Take the infinitive captar, drop the -ar ending to get the stem capt-, then add the present endings: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. The full table is above, with every person. No, the present of captar is fully regular: the stem capt- plus the standard -ar endings gives every form.
When do I use the present tense of captar?
Use the present for habits, facts and what is happening right now. For example: Capto la idea a la primera.
What is the difference between the present and the preterite of captar?
The present (capto) and the preterite (capté) answer different questions: the present is for habits and for right now, while the preterite is for one finished action. Compare them in the contrast section above.
How do I practise the present of captar?
Drill the six forms in the table until you can say them without looking, then use the full conjugation of captar to see how the present fits with the other tenses, and the captar examples and quiz page for more sentences. The Spanish Verb Quiz tests the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Captar conjugation — the full conjugation tables for captar.
- Captar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for captar.
- Spanish present tense guide — when and how to use the present tense.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Present-Tense Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in the present tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.