I have trouble to know the differences between ‘experimentar’ and ‘provar’. Do they both mean ‘to try, to experiment, to test’? Are they synonymous? Are they used in different ways or situations?
@jjportugal2020, provar is usually just about tasting something. There are limited contexts outside of food where the verb is also commonly used in the sense of trying something (e.g. prova de guarda-roupa → costume fitting). Experimentar, on the other hand, is a very broad term and applies to any context where you’re trying something, food included.
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Got it. Thank you.
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What about tentar?
If I want to say “I want to try this fish dish…” do I say “gosto de tentar…” or “gosto de experimentar…” or “gosto de provar…”?
How is tentar different from provar and experimentar?
Thanks!
@sfaznpinoy, tentar is a bit distinct, perhaps more comparable to the English attempt than to try/test/experiment. Sometimes, it works in the same contexts as experimentar, other times not at all. As discussed above, provar is mostly just for tasting food, and experimentar is also acceptable for that (tentar isn’t). Some examples:
- Prova isto. = Experimenta isto. (Taste this)
- Tenta comer mais. (Try to eat more)
- Experimenta fazer isto. = Tenta fazer isto. (Try to do this)
- Experimenta este método de estudo. (Try this study method)
- Tenta concentrar-te. (Try to focus)
In your example, about trying a fish dish, the appropriate direct translations would be “Quero experimentar…” or “Quero provar…”. Alternatively, for polite requests, you can also phrase it as “Gostaria/gostava de experimentar…” or “Gostaria/gostava de provar…”. Tentar isn’t suitable.
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