versucht

"versucht" is a German verb form derived from versuchen, meaning to try or to attempt. It serves as the third-person singular present tense (er versucht) and as the past participle used with haben in perfect tenses (er hat versucht). In context, it expresses an attempt or effort to achieve something, or the act of testing something.

The main present-tense forms of versuchen are: ich versuche, du versuchst, er/sie/es versucht, wir versuchen, ihr versucht, sie/Sie versuchen. The simple past is versuchte (e.g., er versuchte), and the past perfect is hat versucht. The future is wird versuchen, and the conditional is würde versuchen. These forms cover most standard narrative and descriptive uses.

Usage notes include distinctions from similar verbs. vs. probieren: versuchen often conveys a deliberate effort or a more formal tone, while probieren is common in everyday language and can imply sampling or trying out something tangible. Common expressions with versuch en include "einen Versuch wagen" (to take a stab at something) and "etwas versuchen" (to attempt something). The noun “Versuch” meaning “an attempt” or, in science and experimentation, “an experiment,” is closely related and frequently appears in legal and technical contexts as well.

Etymology reflects its origin from suchen, with the prefix ver-, which in this sense adds the idea of attempting or testing rather than simply searching. In English, the primary translations are "to try" or "to attempt," with "to test" used in specific contexts involving evaluation or experimentation.