Why Intentar Is More Than "To Try"
Intentar is the verb of having a go. Spanish also has probar for testing things and tratar de as a close synonym, but intentar is the cleanest choice when you attempt an action. It takes an infinitive directly, with no preposition.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will talk about attempts, effort, and second chances without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: Voy a intentar… — "I'm going to try to…"
Announce your effort by following intentar with an infinitive. There is no a or de to remember, which makes it easier than some of its synonyms.
- Voy a intentar llegar temprano. — I'm going to try to arrive early.
- Intento hablar solo en español. — I try to speak only Spanish.
- Intenta relajarte un poco. — Try to relax a little.
Chunk to learn:
Voy a intentar + [infinitive] / Intentar + [infinitive]
Pattern 2: Inténtalo — "Give it a try"
A command with the thing already attached: inténtalo for tú and inténtelo for usted. It encourages someone to have a go. For more with attached pronouns, see Object Pronouns Chunks.
- Inténtalo otra vez. — Try it again.
- Inténtalo, no pasa nada. — Give it a try, nothing bad will happen.
- Inténtelo con calma, por favor. — Please try it calmly.
Chunk to learn:
Inténtalo (otra vez) / Inténtelo
Pattern 3: Intentar de nuevo — "To try again"
Failure is part of learning, so you need the phrase for a second attempt. De nuevo and otra vez both work, and volver a is the verb alternative. For more, see [Volver a] Chunks.
- Vamos a intentarlo de nuevo. — Let's try it again.
- Lo intenté otra vez y funcionó. — I tried again and it worked.
- Intenta de nuevo más tarde. — Try again later.
Chunk to learn:
Intentar de nuevo / Intentarlo otra vez
Pattern 4: Vale la pena intentarlo — "It's worth a try"
The encouraging chunk. It tells someone the risk is small and the reward is worth it. Add no pierdes nada for extra comfort.
- Vale la pena intentarlo. — It's worth a try.
- No pierdes nada con intentarlo. — You've got nothing to lose by trying.
- Al menos lo intentamos. — At least we tried.
Chunk to learn:
Vale la pena intentarlo / No pierdes nada con intentarlo
Pattern 5: Intentar que… — "To try to make sure that…"
When the goal depends on a situation or on others, use intentar que plus the subjunctive. It is the polite way to say you will do what you can. For more on the subjunctive, see Subjunctive Chunks.
- Intento que todos se sientan cómodos. — I try to make everyone feel comfortable.
- Intenta que no se enteren. — Try to make sure they don't find out.
- Vamos a intentar que salga bien. — We'll try to make it turn out well.
Chunk to learn:
Intentar que + [subjunctive]
Pattern 6: Al primer intento — "On the first try"
The noun intento gives you the language of attempts: first, second, failed. Use it for exams, driving tests, and games. Add a la primera for the informal version.
- Aprobé el examen al primer intento. — I passed the exam on the first try.
- Fue un intento fallido. — It was a failed attempt.
- No me salió a la primera. — It didn't work out on my first try.
Chunk to learn:
Al primer intento / Un intento fallido / A la primera
Intentar vs. Tratar de
Tratar de plus an infinitive means nearly the same thing: Trato de llegar temprano. It takes de, while intentar does not, so intentar is the safer one to learn first. For the success side, see [Conseguir] Chunks.
Start with voy a intentar… and vale la pena intentarlo. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.