French Conversation · Level 159
30 words
French word
capter
Pronunciation
IPA/kapte/
Meaning
- verbpick up
Example
Je ne capte rien ici.
I can't pick up anything here.
More examples
La publicité capte son attention.
The advertisement captures his attention.
Core concept
A receiver catches a signal, message, or person's attention and makes it available to the mind.
Common phrases
capter l'attention
capture attention
capter ce que dit quelqu'un
understand what someone says
Similar words
comprendre: Understand the meaning of spoken words or written text.
recevoir: Receive a physical object or a signal.
entendre: Hear and identify a sound or voice.
Definition in French
Percevoir ou recevoir un signal, une information ou l'attention d'une personne, employé surtout à l'oral pour dire qu'on capte une émission ou qu'on comprend un message.
Word origin
Capter comes from Latin captare, a frequentative form of capere meaning "to take," whose sense later extended to receiving signals and grasping information.
Usage tips
- In spoken French, capter covers both receiving a broadcast and grasping an idea, while recevoir and comprendre are more neutral choices in many formal contexts.
Other meanings
- understandverb
- attractverb
Opposites
- transmettretransmitverb
Related words
- captéreceivedadjective
- capturecapturenoun