captar

To capture, pick up, or grasp — used for signals (captar una señal, to pick up a signal), attention (captar la atención, to capture attention), and understanding (captar la idea, to grasp the idea). Broader and more abstract than capturar, which is about physically seizing something.

• La antena no logra captar la señal. — The antenna can't pick up the signal.
• Su discurso captó la atención de todos. — His speech captured everyone's attention.
• No capté bien la explicación. — I didn't quite grasp the explanation.

Learners often reach for capturar when they mean captar — captar is for signals, attention, or understanding (abstract/perceptual), while capturar is for physically seizing someone or something.

Often confused with capturar.