experimentar

Experimentar is a Spanish verb with two primary senses. One refers to conducting tests or trials to learn something or to assess a method, substance, or hypothesis. The sense is common in scientific and technical contexts and in everyday use when trying out new techniques, products, or procedures. The corresponding noun is experimento, and the activity is often described with phrases such as hacer un experimento, realizar un experimento, or experimentar con algo.

The second sense means to experience or undergo something, often a feeling, situation, or change. In this use, experimentar is transitive and can be followed directly by a noun of experience, such as miedo, dolor, o un cambio. This reflex of feeling or living through something is widely used in both everyday and literary language. For example, one can experimentar una emoción intensa or experimentar dificultades.

Etymology and grammar: experimentar comes from Latin experiri, to try or test, through the noun experimentum. It is a regular -ar verb in all tenses and moods, with forms such as experimento, experimentas, experimenta, experimentamos, experimentáis, experimentan in the present indicative; and expresó in other tenses like the regular pattern of -ar verbs.

Usage notes: In scientific language, the noun form experimento or la experimentación is common, while experimentar itself covers both testing and experiential senses. Synonyms include probar, realizar pruebas, vivir, or padecer depending on context.