Tentar

Tentar is a Portuguese verb meaning to try or to attempt to do something. It is commonly used with an infinitive, as in tentar fazer algo, and can also mean to tempt or entice someone in certain contexts. The primary sense is deliberate effort aimed at achieving a result. Tentar is a regular -ar verb, and its conjugation follows the standard pattern for first-conjugation verbs across dialects, with some regional variations in pronouns and formality.

Conjugation: As a regular -ar verb, tentar forms are built on the stem tent- + endings. In Brazilian Portuguese the present tense is eu tento, você tenta, ele tenta, nós tentamos, vocês tentam. In European Portuguese, you may also hear tu tentas, ele/ela tenta, nós tentamos, vós tentais, eles/elas tentam. The gerund is tentando and the past participle is tentado. Simple past forms include tentei, tentaste, tentou, tentamos, tentaram. Example: "Vou tentar fazer isso" (I will try to do this).

Etymology and usage notes: Tentar derives from Latin tentāre, related to testing or attempting. The sense of "to tempt" exists but is less common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese; when used in that sense, it means to entice someone into doing something. Common idioms include "tentar a sorte" (to try one's luck) and "tentar não falhar" (to attempt not to fail). Related verbs include experimentar and provar as synonyms in certain contexts.