Tentar, Experimentar or Provar? Three Ways to Say Try in Portuguese

For an attempt, start with tentar plus an action

Caldas Aulete’s tentar entry includes making an effort to do or achieve something, alongside other uses. The attempt pattern below is a practical starting point, not an exhaustive definition. The reference was checked on October 21, 2026.

• Vou tentar falar sem ler. — “I’ll try to speak without reading.”
• Tentei abrir a janela, mas não consegui. — “I tried to open the window, but couldn’t.”
• Vamos tentar de novo amanhã. — “Let’s try again tomorrow.”

The verb after tentar names the action. An attempt does not guarantee success. Add what happened if your listener needs the result. Tentei falar tells us you made the attempt; it does not tell us how much you said or how clearly someone understood.

For a trial or first experience, use experimentar

The experimentar entry covers testing, experiencing and trying on clothing, among other meanings. The reference was checked on October 21, 2026.

• Quero experimentar esse aplicativo. — “I want to try that app.”
• Posso experimentar esta camisa? — “Can I try on this shirt?”
• Nunca experimentei essa comida. — “I’ve never tried that food.”

The object tells you the type of experience. At a clothing store, experimenting with a shirt is normally trying it on, not attempting to manufacture it. With food, experimentar can refer to tasting. There is overlap between the verbs: these choices are useful patterns rather than a rule that only one verb can ever fit.

For tasting, provar is useful—and context also gives it “prove”

The provar entry includes tasting food or drink, trying on clothing and demonstrating that something is true. The reference was checked on October 21, 2026.

• Posso provar um pedacinho? — “Can I taste a little piece?”
• Provei o molho antes de servir. — “I tasted the sauce before serving it.”
• Como você pode provar isso? — “How can you prove that?”

A sauce or a piece of cake makes tasting the likely meaning. A claim, argument or evidence can point to proving. Provar uma roupa is also possible, so do not mark it wrong just because you learned experimentar first. For a simple clothing question, Posso experimentar? is a useful phrase to practise.

Original dialogue: tasting versus attempting the recipe

B first asks to taste an existing cake. The final line is an attempt to perform an action: make the cake. It does not promise the attempt will succeed. This is original written practice connected to our food conversation guide, not an episode quotation.

Practice: translate the intention, not just try

1. Ask to try on a jacket.
2. You attempted to call but nobody answered. Say both parts.
3. Ask to taste the sauce.
4. Does Quero experimentar esse aplicativo claim that you have already used it?
5. Explain why provar isso can mean more than tasting.

Continue with real conversation practice

For the wider food conversation that prompted this companion activity, see six Brazilian foods and the questions around them. The examples and exercises here are original written teaching material, not a transcript, quotation or additional audio recording.

Continue with Real Life Portuguese for native Brazilian audio and everyday expressions. Listen to a short exchange available in the app, identify what the speaker is doing and prepare your own reply. Bruno Lopes is a co-founder of the app. Use the written exercises here to prepare a reply of your own.