Intentar or probar?
Intentar = try to do something difficult: Intenté abrir la puerta (I tried to open the door). Probar = try something out, taste or test: ¿Has probado la paella? (Have you tried paella?). Encouragement: ¡Inténtalo! (Give it a go!), al menos lo intenté (at least I tried).
Indicative tenses of intentar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | intentoI try |
|---|---|
| tú | intentasyou try |
| él/ella/usted | intentahe/she tries |
| nosotros/as | intentamoswe try |
| vosotros/as | intentáisyou all try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentanthey try |
Fully regular. Intentar + infinitive, no preposition: intento dormir (I try to sleep).
Preterite indicative
| yo | intentéI tried |
|---|---|
| tú | intentasteyou tried |
| él/ella/usted | intentóhe/she tried |
| nosotros/as | intentamoswe tried |
| vosotros/as | intentasteisyou all tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentaronthey tried |
Imperfect indicative
| yo | intentabaI used to try |
|---|---|
| tú | intentabasyou used to try |
| él/ella/usted | intentabahe/she used to try |
| nosotros/as | intentábamoswe used to try |
| vosotros/as | intentabaisyou all used to try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentabanthey used to try |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy intentandoI am trying |
|---|---|
| tú | estás intentandoyou are trying |
| él/ella/usted | está intentandohe/she is trying |
| nosotros/as | estamos intentandowe are trying |
| vosotros/as | estáis intentandoyou all are trying |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están intentandothey are trying |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a intentarI am going to try |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a intentaryou are going to try |
| él/ella/usted | va a intentarhe/she is going to try |
| nosotros/as | vamos a intentarwe are going to try |
| vosotros/as | vais a intentaryou all are going to try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a intentarthey are going to try |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | intentaréI will try |
|---|---|
| tú | intentarásyou will try |
| él/ella/usted | intentaráhe/she will try |
| nosotros/as | intentaremoswe will try |
| vosotros/as | intentaréisyou all will try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentaránthey will try |
Conditional indicative
| yo | intentaríaI would try |
|---|---|
| tú | intentaríasyou would try |
| él/ella/usted | intentaríahe/she would try |
| nosotros/as | intentaríamoswe would try |
| vosotros/as | intentaríaisyou all would try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentaríanthey would try |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he intentadoI have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | has intentadoyou have tried |
| él/ella/usted | ha intentadohe/she has tried |
| nosotros/as | hemos intentadowe have tried |
| vosotros/as | habéis intentadoyou all have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han intentadothey have tried |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había intentadoI had tried |
|---|---|
| tú | habías intentadoyou had tried |
| él/ella/usted | había intentadohe/she had tried |
| nosotros/as | habíamos intentadowe had tried |
| vosotros/as | habíais intentadoyou all had tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían intentadothey had tried |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré intentadoI will have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás intentadoyou will have tried |
| él/ella/usted | habrá intentadohe/she will have tried |
| nosotros/as | habremos intentadowe will have tried |
| vosotros/as | habréis intentadoyou all will have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán intentadothey will have tried |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría intentadoI would have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías intentadoyou would have tried |
| él/ella/usted | habría intentadohe/she would have tried |
| nosotros/as | habríamos intentadowe would have tried |
| vosotros/as | habríais intentadoyou all would have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían intentadothey would have tried |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of intentar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | intente(that) I try |
|---|---|
| tú | intentes(that) you try |
| él/ella/usted | intente(that) he/she tries |
| nosotros/as | intentemos(that) we try |
| vosotros/as | intentéis(that) you all try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intenten(that) they try |
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | intentara(if) I tried |
|---|---|
| tú | intentaras(if) you tried |
| él/ella/usted | intentara(if) he/she tried |
| nosotros/as | intentáramos(if) we tried |
| vosotros/as | intentarais(if) you all tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentaran(if) they tried |
Future subjunctive
| yo | intentare(if) I try |
|---|---|
| tú | intentares(if) you try |
| él/ella/usted | intentare(if) he/she tries |
| nosotros/as | intentáremos(if) we try |
| vosotros/as | intentareis(if) you all try |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | intentaren(if) they try |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya intentado(that) I have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas intentado(that) you have tried |
| él/ella/usted | haya intentado(that) he/she has tried |
| nosotros/as | hayamos intentado(that) we have tried |
| vosotros/as | hayáis intentado(that) you all have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan intentado(that) they have tried |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera intentado(if) I had tried |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras intentado(if) you had tried |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera intentado(if) he/she had tried |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos intentado(if) we had tried |
| vosotros/as | hubierais intentado(if) you all had tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran intentado(if) they had tried |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere intentado(if) I will have tried |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres intentado(if) you will have tried |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere intentado(if) he/she will have tried |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos intentado(if) we will have tried |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis intentado(if) you all will have tried |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren intentado(if) they will have tried |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of intentar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | intentatry! |
|---|---|
| usted | intentetry! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | intentemoslet's try! |
| vosotros/as | intentadtry! (you all) |
| ustedes | intententry! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no intentesdon't try! |
|---|---|
| usted | no intentedon't try! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no intentemoslet's not try! |
| vosotros/as | no intentéisdon't try! (you all) |
| ustedes | no intentendon't try! (you all, formal) |
Practice intentar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and intentar.
How to use intentar
Intento hablar español cada día.
I try to speak Spanish every day.
¡Inténtalo otra vez!
Try again!
Lo intenté, pero no pude.
I tried, but I couldn't.
Intentamos llegar a tiempo.
We tried to arrive on time.
Al menos lo has intentado.
At least you tried.
Example sentences with intentar
- ¿Intentas dormir?Are you trying to sleep?
- Ella intentó llamarte.She tried to call you.
- Antes intentaba hacerlo todo solo.I used to try to do everything alone.
- Estoy intentando aprender alemán.I'm trying to learn German.
- Lo intentaré mañana.I'll try tomorrow.
- Yo lo intentaría.I'd give it a go.
- No intentes cambiarlo.Don't try to change him.
- Intenta no reírte.Try not to laugh.
Verbs like intentar
Intentar is a regular -ar verb. Tratar de + infinitive means the same; probar (to try out) has an o → ue stem change.
Frequently asked questions about intentar
Is intentar regular or irregular?
Intentar is completely regular in every tense.
How do you conjugate intentar in the present tense?
intento, intentas, intenta, intentamos, intentáis, intentan.
How do you conjugate intentar in the preterite?
intenté, intentaste, intentó, intentamos, intentasteis, intentaron.
What is the difference between intentar and probar?
Intentar = try (to do something). Probar = try out, taste, test.
Is it "intentar a" or "intentar de"?
Neither — just intentar + infinitive: intento estudiar. (Tratar de does take de.)
What is the past participle of intentar?
The past participle is intentado and the gerund is intentando.
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All 18 tenses of intentar, on one page.
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