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June 15, 2021 by Olga Put Spanish Grammar 2 comments

Tratar vs Probar: What’s the Difference Between these Spanish Verbs?

How do you say “try to” in Spanish? Intentar, probar, tratar? Some students get confused with so many options for one single word. However, you’ll see it’s easier than you think.

Today, I’m teaching you what the difference between tratar, probar, and intentar are; when to use each one of them, and when you can safely choose whichever you like. You’re also getting conjugation charts for main past, present, and future tenses and sample sentences to see them in context!

Last but not least, you can try yourself out in a multiple choice quiz on tratar, probar, and intentar and you can even download the printable version of it together with a summary of the lesson.

Let’s start then!

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Download our Free Tratar vs Probar Worksheet and Quiz!

Just type in your name and email and we will immediately send the PDFs to your inbox!

Tratar, Probar, Intentar: What’s the Difference?

That’s true that they all translate into “to try” but they are not always interchangeable. Later on, you’ll see in which situations you could use two of them or even all three, and what uses are more specific and reserved only to one of them. 

In a nutshell, intentar and tratar are more synonymical and they refer to an attempt to do a certain activity. Probar means to try something new, try on, taste and test. However, you need to have in mind the structures you will use with each of these verbs, the way you have to conjugate them, and some subtle, and not so subtle, differences in meaning.

Intentar

Let’s start with intentar.

Meaning: to try to do something, to intend to, to mean to do something. It’s basically interchangeable with tratar de. 

In some cases, intentar can simply mean to have the intention of doing a certain activity, but not necessarily engaging in it, and doing your best. So when you say intenté hacerlo and traté de hacerlo, the second one means that you really did something to make it happen and in the first situation you just wanted to do it.

Intenté hacerlo pero fue muy dificil y mejor ví una pelí.
I tried to do it but it was very difficult and I better saw a movie.

Traté de hacerlo, pero no me salió.
I tried to do it, but it didn’t work out.

Nevertheless, in the real world, you’ll see that people use both of them as synonyms, without paying too much attention to subtle shades of meaning. However, I have an impression that tratar is less used by Spanish-native speakers in informal conversations, and you will rather hear ¿intentaste hacerlo? Que ¿Trataste de hacerlo?.

Remember, intentar is only followed by an infinitive with no prepositions in between. “Intentar a” is simply incorrect.

Intentar – Conjugation

Intentar is a verb that belongs to the -ar conjugation. Let’s see how you conjugate it in the present tense, past tense, and future tense. 

Present Simple tense

The conjugation of intentar in the present tense is easy. It follows all the rules without exceptions.

Intentar – present tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo intentoI try to
tú intentasyou try to
él, ella, usted intentahe, she, it, tries to (fml. you try to)
nosotros intentamoswe try to
ustedes intentanyou try to
ellos, ellas intentanthey try to

Intento hacer la tarea pero no me sale.
I try to do my homework but it doesn’t work out.

Mis papás intentan aprender Español pero no tienen tiempo.
My parents try to learn Spanish but they don’t have time.

Ella solo intenta ayudarte, no te enojes.
She’s just trying to help you, don’t be mad.

tratar probar intentar

The Preterite Tense

Let’s see the preterite conjugation for intentar. It’s also very regular.

Intentar – preterite tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo intentéI tried to
tú intentasteyou tried to
él, ella, usted intentóhe, she, it, tried to (fml. you tried to)
nosotros intentamoswe tried to
ustedes intentaronyou tried to
ellos, ellas intentaronthey tried to

Intenté hacerlo yo sola, pero al final me ayudó mi hermano.
I tried to do it myself, but in the end, my brother helped me.

Sara intentó pasar el examen, pero no lo logró.
Sara tried to pass the exam, but she was unsuccessful.

Intentamos ahorrar el año pasado pero se nos averió el coche y tuvimos que comprar uno nuevo.
We tried to save some money last year but our car broke down and we had to buy a new one.

The Future Simple Tense

Finally, let’s have a look at the regular future tense conjugation for intentar:

Intentar – future tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo intentaréI will try to
tú intentarásyou will try to
él, ella, usted intentaráhe, she, it, will try to (fml. you will try to)
nosotros intentaremoswe will try to
ustedes intentarányou will try to
ellos, ellas intentaránthey will try to

Lo intentaré, te lo prometo.
I’ll try, I promise.

Pedro intentará romper el record mundial.
Pedro will try to break the world record.

Intentaremos otra vez, no pasa nada.
We will try again, don’t worry.

Tratar

As I said earlier, tratar is almost a perfect synonym for intentar. However, watch out, if you want it to mean “to try”, you need to add the preposition de. If you use it without this preposition, it means “to cure”, “to treat”, or “to address”. Look:

Trata estos niños con respeto.
Treat these children with respect.

Trata de hablar más despacio.
Try to speak more slowly.

So keep in mind tratar vs tratar de if you want to avoid some confusion.

Tratar – Conjugation

Tratar is a verb that also belongs to the -ar conjugation. Let’s see how you conjugate it in the present tense, past tense, and future tense. 

Present Simple tense

The conjugation of tratar in the present tense is also easy. It follows all the rules without exceptions.

tratar – present tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo trato I try to
tú tratasyou try to
él, ella, usted tratahe, she, it, tries to (fml. you try to)
nosotros tratamoswe try to
ustedes tratanyou try to
ellos, ellas tratanthey try to

Trato de dar lo mejor de mi.
I try to do my best.

Por qué no tratas de hablar con él, ya se le habrá pasado el enojo.
Why don’t you try to talk to him, he is surely less angry now.

Ellos tratan de poner un negocio propio.
They try to start a business of their own.

tratar probar intentar

The Preterite Tense

Let’s see the preterite conjugation for tratar. This one is also very regular.

tratar – preterite tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo tratéI tried to
tú tratasteyou tried to
él, ella, usted tratóhe, she, it, tried to (fml. you tried to)
nosotros tratamoswe tried to
ustedes trataronyou tried to
ellos, ellas trataronthey tried to

Traté de subir el árbol pero solamente me raspé las rodillas.
I tried to climb the tree but only scraped my knees.

¡Usted trató de engañarme!
You tried to fool me!

Ustedes trataron de hacerlo bien, lo sé.
You guys tried to get it right, I know.

The Future Simple Tense

And last but not least, the regular future tense conjugation for tratar:

tratar – future tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo trataréI will try to
tú tratarásyou will try to
él, ella, usted trataráhe, she, it, will try to (fml. you will try to)
nosotros trataremoswe will try to
ustedes tratarányou will try to
ellos, ellas trataránthey will try to

Trataré de levantarme temprano pero no garantizo los resultados.
I will try to get up early but I do not guarantee results.

Trataremos de arreglar el asunto. 
We will try to fix the matter.

¿Y ellos, tratarán de entrar a la universidad?
And will they try to get into college?

Probar

Probar is the most specific of all three verbs and it can have three different meanings, two of them very different from intentar and tratar.

1. To taste, to try for the first time. Here, the verb probar comes with a noun, immediately after. You can use probar to describe your firsts with food and dishes.

¿Quieres probar mi pastel?
Do you want to taste my cake?

Pruébalo, te gustará.
Try it, you will like it.

Lo probé pero no me gustó, sabe raro.
I tried it but I didn’t like it, it tastes weird.

2. To eat or drink. In this meaning, probar is also followed by a noun.

Desde el año pasado no prueba el alcohol.
Since last year, he has not drunk alcohol.

3. To try clothes on. In this case, probar becomes a reflexive verb and must be used with reflexive pronouns.

Pruébate esta falda. Te quedará bien.
Try on this skirt. It will look good on you.

4. To justify something with facts, arguments, or witnesses. Here, it’s a synonym to demostrar (to prove).

Pruébalo! No te creo nada.
Prove it! I don’t believe you at all.

Mi profesor probó que el hielo se derrite.
My teacher proved that ice melts.

5. To try to do something. It’s a synonym to intentar and tratar de. In this meaning, you need to add a preposition a and later another verb in the infinitive.

Probó a levantarse y no pudo.
He tried to get up and couldn’t.

6. To test. In this case, it also goes with a noun.

¿Has probado el sonido y el video?
Have you tested sound and video?

Probar – Conjugation

Probar is a verb that also belongs to the -ar conjugation like intentar and tratar but you need to watch out for some irregularities. Let’s see how you conjugate it in the present tense, past tense, and future tense. 

Present Simple tense

The conjugation of probar in present tense undergoes a stem change from o-ue in all grammatical persons but “we”.

probar – present tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo pruebo I try 
tú pruebasyou try 
él, ella, usted pruebahe, she, it, tries (fml. you try)
nosotros probamoswe try
ustedes pruebanyou try
ellos, ellas pruebanthey try

Nosotros probamos el pastel y nos encantó.
We tried the cake and we loved it.

Tú siempre pruebas todas las galletas y no te comes ninguna.
You always taste all the cookies and don’t eat any.

Nosotros probamos la hipótesis y sacamos un A en el examen.
We proved the hypothesis and got an A on the test.

The Preterite Tense

However, in the preterite, the conjugation for probar gets back to a regular one and you don’t have to watch out for any exceptions or irregularities.

probar – preterite tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo probéI tried
tú probasteyou tried
él, ella, usted probóhe, she, it, tried (fml. you tried)
nosotros probamoswe tried 
ustedes probaronyou tried 
ellos, ellas probaronthey tried 

Me probé la ropa y no me gustó.
I tried on the clothes and I didn’t like them.

Ellos probaron a arreglarlo pero sin éxito.
They tried to fix it but without success.

¿Probaste a reiniciar la compu?
Did you try restarting the computer?

tratar probar intentar

The Future Simple Tense

Let’s have a look at the regular future tense conjugation for probar:

probar – future tense conjugation chart
SPANISHENGLISH
yo probaréI will try to
tú probarásyou will try to
él, ella, usted probaráhe, she, it, will try to (fml. you will try to)
nosotros probaremoswe will try to
ustedes probarányou will try to
ellos, ellas probaránthey will try to

Prometo que no probaré dulces durante todo el año.
I promise I will not eat sweets all year long.

Me probaré estos pantalones.
I will try these pants on.

Probaré a estudiar más.
I will try to study more.

Tratar, Probar, Intentar – Multiple Choice Quiz

Quiz CTA

Now that you know all the possible meanings of tratar, probar, and intentar and you also know how to conjugate these verbs, let’s see if you can answer correctly the following questions. There is only one possible answer.

1. El no ______________ los vegetales porque no le gustan.

Correct! Wrong!

2. Estoy ______________ aprender español.

Correct! Wrong!

3. Está ______________ de averiguar la respuesta.

Correct! Wrong!

4. ______________ a empujar más fuerte.

Correct! Wrong!

5. Me gustaría ______________ este vestido de novia.

Correct! Wrong!

6. Tienes que ______________, si no, no te creeré.

Correct! Wrong!

7. Lo ______________ te lo juró.

Correct! Wrong!

8. Has ______________ el nuevo modelo de este coche?

Correct! Wrong!

9. ______________ de hacerlo bien.

Correct! Wrong!

10. ______________ hablar más bajito.

Correct! Wrong!

Tratar, Probar, Intentar Quiz
Wow, you've mastered the use of Tratar, Probar, and Intentar! Good job!
You've got a solid understanding of tratar, probar, and intentar and the quality of your Spanish conversations are exploding through the roof!
Your consistent practice is leading to better results!
As you keep up your hard work and practice, you're starting to understand better how to use tratar, probar, and intentar. For more study materials, keep up-to-date with our newest published blog posts at Homeschool Spanish Academy. *YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! You can do it!* Do you prefer learning with videos? Check out our YouTube channel Spanish Academy TV for the best Spanish learning content on the web!
Practice makes perfect! Keep on studying!
Your motivation to learn Spanish is an essential ingredient to success! If you're ready to take your Spanish to the next level and master the usage of tratar, probar, and intentar, then join us for a free Spanish class with one of our friendly, certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Sign up today!

Practice Time

¿Intentarás aprender los tres verbos? Tratarás de entender las diferencias? Probarás a conjugarlos todos? (Will you try to learn the three verbs? Will you try to understand the differences? Will you try to conjugate them all?)

What really helps to learn new vocabulary is using it in conversations. Sign up for a free class and practice intentar, tratar, and probar in a one-to-one conversation with one of our native, Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala.

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Ready to learn more Spanish grammar? Check these out!

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Olga Put
Olga Put
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
I'm a Spanish philologist, teacher, and freelance writer with a Master's degree in Humanities from Madrid. I speak Polish, Spanish, and English fluently, and want to get better in Portuguese and German. A lover of literature, and Mexican spicy cuisine, I've lived in Poland, Spain, and Mexico and I'm currently living and teaching in Madeira, Portugal.
Olga Put
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2 comments on this post

  1. j6fdecorrd0.ourcodeblog.com
    September 20, 2021

    Having read this I believed it was really informative.
    I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this informative article together.
    I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and commenting.
    But so what, it was still worthwhile!

    Reply
    • Olga Put
      September 22, 2021

      Hello!

      Thank you for reading, I’m glad you liked it.

      Reply

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