intentar
Spanish, verb/intenˈtaɾ/
intentar is spelled I-N-T-E-N-T-A-R (8 letters) and appears 48 times per million words in written Spanish, the 1,814th most frequent Spanish word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Intentar is a Spanish verb meaning “to try, to attempt; especially: to strain or put forth effort in so doing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Prepararse para hacer algo, tomar las medidas necesarias y hacer el esfuerzo para conseguirlo”.
What does intentar mean in English?
verb
- 1
to try, to attempt; especially: to strain or put forth effort in so doing
Intento correr pero me canso mucho.
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
verb: 1. Prepararse para hacer algo, tomar las medidas necesarias y hacer el esfuerzo para conseguirlo. 2. Resolver en el ánimo la ejecución de una cosa. 3. Poner en práctica la resolución tomada, pero sin proseguirla. 4. Poner en planta los medios de realizar una cosa.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of intentar
- intento first-person present singular
- intenté first-person preterite singular
- intentado participle past
- intentando gerund
- intentada feminine participle past
- intentados masculine participle past
- intentadas feminine participle past
- intentas indicative informal present
- intentás indicative informal present
- intenta indicative present singular
- intentamos first-person indicative plural
- intentáis indicative plural present
- intentan indicative plural present
- intentaba first-person imperfect indicative
- intentabas imperfect indicative second-person
- intentábamos first-person imperfect indicative
- intentabais imperfect indicative plural
- intentaban imperfect indicative plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce intentar?
- /intenˈtaɾ/
- [ĩn̪.t̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]
- [ĩn̪t̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]
Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to intentar
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is intentar in Spanish?
intentar appears 48 times per million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).