про́бовать vs пыта́ться

probovat vs pytat’sya — try/test vs attempt

What it really means

Про́бовать means to try something out, test it, or sample it, and it often suggests a practical experiment or first experience. You can пробовать блюдо, новый метод, or позвонить кому-то. It may take a noun or an infinitive, and the focus is on testing a possibility or seeing what happens; its perfective counterpart is попро́бовать.

Пыта́ться means to attempt or make an effort to do something, usually with an infinitive. It highlights exertion, difficulty, or an effort that may or may not succeed: пытаться понять, объяснить, or открыть дверь. Thus про́бовать is “give it a try/test it,” while пыта́ться is “struggle or endeavor to accomplish it”; the two can overlap but are not interchangeable in every context.

Examples in natural speech

Я хочу про́бовать новые блюда.
I want to try new dishes.
Попро́буй этот способ ещё раз.
Try this method once more.
Она пыта́ется понять вопрос.
She is trying to understand the question.
Мы пыта́лись открыть старый замок.
We tried to open the old lock.
Он про́бует говорить по-русски каждый день.
He tries speaking Russian every day.

Common mistakes

Use про́бовать for tasting, testing, or trying an option, and пыта́ться for an effort directed at accomplishing an action. Do not use пробовать with a reflexive ending to mean “attempt”; пытаться is already reflexive. Both can take an infinitive, so the distinction comes from whether the emphasis is experimentation or effort.

Memory tip

Про́бовать tests the option; пыта́ться strains toward the goal.

Frequently asked questions

Can both verbs be followed by an infinitive?

Yes: пробовать сделать and пытаться сделать are grammatical, but the former tests an option while the latter emphasizes effort.

Which verb is used for tasting food?

Про́бовать: попробуй суп means “try the soup.”

What are their perfectives?

Попро́бовать is perfective “try/test,” while попыта́ться is perfective “attempt.”

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