Capturar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

capturar means “to capture” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Capturar means to capture, and it is used for the police capturing a thief, a camera capturing an image, a fisherman catching a fish and a speaker capturing everyone's attention. It is a regular -ar verb, common in news and in photography. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of capturar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the capturar present tense page.

capturar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present

Four sentences with capturar in the present tense, for habits, facts and things happening right now.

  1. Yo capturo al ladrón en la calle. — I capture the thief in the street.
  2. Él/Ella captura la imagen con la cámara. — He captures the image with the camera.
  3. Nosotros/as capturamos un pez en el río. — We capture a fish in the river.
  4. Ellos/as capturan la atención de todos. — They capture everyone's attention.

In the past

Four sentences with capturar in the past: the preterite for finished actions and the imperfect for habits and background.

  1. Ayer, Yo capturé un pez en el río. — Yesterday, I captured a fish in the river.
  2. Antes, Nosotros/as capturábamos la atención de todos. — Before, We used to capture everyone's attention.
  3. Ayer, Él/Ella capturó al ladrón en la calle. — Yesterday, He captured the thief in the street.
  4. De niños, Ellos/as capturaban la imagen con la cámara. — As children, They used to capture the image with the camera.

Plans, hopes and wishes

Four sentences with capturar in the future, the conditional, the subjunctive and the present perfect — for plans, hypotheticals and things that have just happened.

  1. Mañana, Tú capturarás al ladrón en la calle. — Tomorrow, You will capture the thief in the street.
  2. Yo capturaría la imagen con la cámara. — I would capture the image with the camera.
  3. Espero que él capture un pez en el río. — I hope he captures a fish in the river.
  4. Él/Ella ha capturado la atención de todos. — He has captured everyone's attention.

capturar in context: two short dialogues

Making plans

Ana: ¿Tú capturas al ladrón en la calle mañana? — Are you going to capture the thief in the street tomorrow? Luis: Sí, yo capturo al ladrón en la calle todos los días. — Yes, I capture the thief in the street every day. Ana: ¿Y mañana capturarás la imagen con la cámara? — And tomorrow, will you capture the image with the camera? Luis: Claro, mañana capturaré la imagen con la cámara sin falta. — Of course, tomorrow I will capture the image with the camera without fail. Ana: Perfecto. Yo capturaré un pez en el río también. — Perfect. I will capture a fish in the river too. Luis: Entonces quedamos mañana. ¡Hasta luego! — Then see you tomorrow. Bye!

Yesterday

Ana: ¿Qué hiciste ayer? — What did you do yesterday? Luis: Ayer capturé un pez en el río. — Yesterday, I captured a fish in the river. Ana: ¿Y antes capturabas la atención de todos? — And before, did you use to capture everyone's attention? Luis: Sí, antes capturaba la atención de todos todos los días. — Yes, before, I used to capture everyone's attention every day. Ana: ¿Y tus hermanos capturaron al ladrón en la calle? — And did your brothers captured the thief in the street? Luis: Sí, ellos capturaron al ladrón en la calle por la tarde. — Yes, they captured the thief in the street in the afternoon.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo captura al ladrón en la calle. — Right: Yo capturo al ladrón en la calle. — The person matters: captura is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is capturo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Treating capturar and atrapar as identical in every context. — Right: Capturar means to capture, while atrapar means to catch or trap something. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: capturar fits sentences such as Capturo al ladrón en la calle, while atrapar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  3. Wrong: Yo soy capturado la imagen con la cámara. — Right: Yo he capturado la imagen con la cámara. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he capturado, has capturado, ha capturado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  4. Wrong: De niño, yo capturé un pez en el río todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo capturaba un pez en el río todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (capturaba), not the preterite. The preterite (capturé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on capturar in use. Choose the right answer, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Ellos/as ___ la atención de todos. (present tense) A. capturan B. capturo C. capturas D. captura

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, Nosotros/as ___ al ladrón en la calle. (preterite tense) A. capturé B. capturaste C. capturó D. capturamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, Tú ___ la imagen con la cámara. (imperfect tense) A. capturábamos B. capturabais C. capturabas D. capturaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, Él/Ella ___ un pez en el río. (future tense) A. capturaremos B. capturará C. capturaré D. capturarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Nosotros/as ___ la atención de todos. (conditional tense) A. capturaríamos B. capturaría C. capturarías D. capturaríais

  6. Complete the sentence: Hoy, Yo ___ al ladrón en la calle. (present-perfect tense) A. has capturado B. ha capturado C. hemos capturado D. he capturado

  7. What does capturar mean in English? A. to disturb B. to address as tú C. to capture D. to catch or trap something

  8. Which of these sentences is WRONG? A. Ayer, Yo capturé un pez en el río. B. Yo captura al ladrón en la calle. C. Yo capturo al ladrón en la calle. D. Él/Ella captura la imagen con la cámara.

  9. Which is the gerund of capturar, used with estar for the progressive? A. capturando B. capturado C. capturo D. capturé

  10. Which is the past participle of capturar, used with haber in the perfect tenses? A. capturando B. capturo C. capturé D. capturado

Answer key

  1. capturan — The correct form here is capturan.
  2. capturamos — The correct form here is capturamos.
  3. capturabas — The correct form here is capturabas.
  4. capturará — The correct form here is capturará.
  5. capturaríamos — The correct form here is capturaríamos.
  6. he capturado — The correct form here is he capturado.
  7. to capture — Capturar means to capture. Atrapar means to catch or trap something, which is a different verb.
  8. Yo captura al ladrón en la calle. — The first sentence is wrong: the correct form is Yo capturo al ladrón en la calle.. The person matters: captura is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is capturo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  9. capturando — The gerund of capturar is capturando: estoy capturando.
  10. capturado — The past participle of capturar is capturado: he capturado, has capturado, ha capturado.

Frequently asked questions

What does capturar mean?

Capturar means to capture. Capturar means to capture, and it is used for the police capturing a thief, a camera capturing an image, a fisherman catching a fish and a speaker capturing everyone's attention. It is a regular -ar verb, common in news and in photography.

When do people use capturar most?

People use capturar most in everyday situations such as Yo capturo al ladrón en la calle. and Ayer, Yo capturé un pez en el río.. Learn the present tense first, then the preterite and the imperfect, since those are the forms you will hear most often.

What is the difference between capturar and atrapar?

Capturar means to capture, while atrapar means to catch or trap something. They appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable — check the meaning you want before you choose.

How can I remember the forms of capturar?

Practise the present tense table first, then add the preterite and the imperfect. Use the full conjugation of capturar as your reference, the capturar present tense page for one tense in depth, and the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself.

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