intentó
/intento/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the English phrase "tried" is translated as intentó.
intentó is used when someone has made an effort or an attempt to perform a specific action.
Which one should you use?
While intentó refers to making an effort, it is distinct from probó, which is used when "tried" means testing a product or tasting food. In Spain, the form Probé can be used specifically when talking about taste-testing food.
How does it change in a sentence?
intentó is the third-person singular preterite indicative of the verb intentar. To say "I tried" instead of "he/she/it tried", change the accent to the first person singular form intenté.
How do you pronounce it?
/intento/
Did you know?
- The word intento can be used in a legal or formal context to describe a 'coup d'état' or a 'putsch', as in un intento de golpe.
- While intentar means 'to try' as an effort, the verb tratar alone can mean 'to treat' or 'to handle'. To express 'tried' as an attempt, Spanish speakers must add the preposition de to create the phrase tratar de.
- While English uses 'tried' for both food and effort, Spanish strictly separates them. Using intenté when talking about tasting a new dish would sound like you were physically struggling to get the food into your mouth.
Examples in context
- Ella misma lo intentó.She tried it herself.This sentence is useful for showing how to use intentó with the pronoun 'ella'.Tatoeba #5704820 by arh, translation #314606 by TRANG
- Lo intentó con un amigo.He tried it with a friend.This sentence is useful for showing how to use intentó in the context of doing something with a friend.Tatoeba #1686411 by Shishir, translation #1676715 by Spamster
- Tom intentó no bostezar.Tom tried not to yawn.This sentence is useful for showing how to use intentó to express an attempt to avoid an action.Tatoeba #7891981 by Seael, translation #2546948 by CK
- Intenté resolver el problema, pero fue muy complejoI tried to solve the problem, but it was very complex
- Traté de llamar pero no contestaronI tried to call, but there was no answer
- Hice un esfuerzo por entender su punto de vistaI tried to understand his/her point of view
- Intenté convencerlo, pero no me escuchóI tried to convince him, but he didn't listen
- Traté de encontrar el libro que me recomendaste, pero no lo tenían en la libreríaI tried to find the book you recommended, but they didn't have it at the bookstore
- Probé el nuevo plato en el restauranteI tried the new dish at the restaurant
- 165 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking about a difficult puzzle.
- AlejandroElena, ¿pudiste terminar el rompecabezas?Elena, were you able to finish the puzzle?
- ElenaNo, pero lo intentó mi hermano ayer.No, but my brother tried it yesterday.
- Alejandro¿Y logró completarlo él?And did he manage to complete it?
- ElenaNo, él también lo intentó y falló.No, he also tried it and failed.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
