Tratar vs. Probar

[laepelba]

Would someone please expound on the differences between the use of "tratar de" and "probar"? Thanks!

[JPablo]

Voy a tratar de explicarlo. (I am going to try to explain it)
Voy a probar a ver si puedo explicarlo. (I am going to try and see if I can explain it.)

As you see per my examples, there is one sense where these are pretty synonymous.

Tratar, normally is "tratar de" as in attempting to.
to try; tratar DE + INF to try to + INF; trate de comprender try to o (colloq) try and understand; traten de no llegar tarde try not to be late; tratar DE QUE + SUBJ: trata de que queden a la misma altura try to o (colloq) try and get them level; trataré de que no vuelva a suceder I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again

probar vi
a (intentar) to try; déjame probar a mí let me try, let me have a go; probar no cuesta nada there’s no harm in trying; ¿has probado con quitamanchas? have you tried using stain remover?; probar A + INF to try -ING; prueba a hacerlo de la otra manera try doing it the other way

So, these are pretty similar in that sense.
Three are other senses for probar as "to demonstrate, show"; "to taste"; "to try on" (clothes) and "to test".

Tratar has also the meanings of "deal with" "to deal in" also "to treat". ("Probar" does not have these senses at all.)

[Perikles]

Is it not the case that the etymologies still indicate the general differences? tratar from tractare, to handle, manage. probar from probare to test, prove, approve? It is the English to try which confuses these two fairly differentiated verbs.

[wafflestomp]

I hear probar used for food a lot too... "este jabón pruebe mal" for example.. and there is also the verb "intentar" that means to try.

[chileno]

tratar - I will try to explain. - Trataré de explicar

probar - I will try this piece of ham. - Probaré este pedazo de jamón


Tratar = I will treat you well. - Te trataré bien.

probar = I will prove you're wrong. - Probaré que estás equivocada/Voy a probar que estás errada/equivocada.


probar = I will test you today. - Te probaré hoy/Te voy a hacer una prueba hoy.

[CrOtALiTo]

Chileno.

Treat and try isn't the same together.

I will try you better, Te tratare mejor.
I will treat you better, Te tratare mejor.

I have that doubt because I have heard before the word treat but I haven't clear the mean.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Chileno.

Treat and try isn't the same together.

I will try you better, Te trataré mejor. (intentaré mejor)
I will treat you better, Te tratare mejor.

I have that doubt because I have heard before the word treat but I haven't clear the mean.

[laepelba]

In hindsight, it seems a bit silly that I was confused between tratar and probar. Haha!!

Now I want to ask about tratar and intentar. Hopefully in four or five months, I'll look back at this and laugh at myself for asking this question, too!

Are tratar and intentar exact synonyms? Or are there differences in how they are used?

Thanks!!

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Are tratar and intentar exact synonyms? Or are there differences in how they are used?

It looks to me as if intentar is a subset of tratar. Here is what my dictionary says:

tratar [A1] verbo intransitivo
A (intentar) to try; tratar de + inf to try to + inf; trate de comprender try to o (familiar) try and understand; traten de no llegar tarde try not to be late; tratar de que + subj: trata de que queden a la misma altura try to o (familiar) try and get them level; trataré de que no vuelva a suceder I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again
B «obra/libro/película»tratar de or sobre algo: ¿de qué trata el libro? what's the book about?; la conferencia tratará sobre medicina alternativa the lecture will deal with o will be on the subject of alternative medicine, the theme of the lecture will be alternative medicine
C (tener contacto, relaciones) tratar con alguien to deal with somebody; en mi trabajo trato con gente de todo tipo in my job I deal with o come into contact with all kinds of people; tratar con él no es nada fácil he's not at all easy to get on with; prefiero tratar directamente con el fabricante I prefer to deal directly with the manufacturer
D (Comercio) tratar en algo to deal in something; tratar en joyas/antigüedades to deal in jewels/antiques; los mercaderes que trataban en esclavos/pieles the merchants who dealt o traded in slaves/furs
n
ntratarverbo transitivo
A
1 ‹persona/animal/instrumento› (+ complemento) to treat; me tratan muy bien/como si fuera de la familia they treat me very well/as if I were one of the family; trata la guitarra con más cuidado be more careful with the guitar
2 (llamar) tratar a alguien de algo to call somebody something; ¿me estás tratando de mentiroso? are you calling me a liar?; tratar a alguien de usted/túto address somebody using the polite usted or the more familiar tú form; a mi suegro nunca lo he tratado de usted I've never called my father-in-law `usted'
B ‹persona› (frecuentar): lo trataba cuando era joven I saw quite a lot of him when I was young; nunca lo he tratado I have never had any contact with him o any dealings with him
C ‹tema/asunto›: vamos a tratar primero los puntos de mayor urgencia let's deal with o discuss the more pressing issues first; no sé cómo tratar esta cuestión I don't know how to deal with o handle this matter; el libro trata la Revolución Francesa desde una óptica inusual the book looks at the French Revolution from an unusual angle; esto no se puede tratar delante de los niños we can't discuss this in front of the children
D
1 ‹paciente/enfermedad› to treat
2 ‹sustancia/metal/madera› to treat; cultivos tratados con insectidas crops treated with insecticides
ntratarsev pron
A (relacionarse, tener contacto)
1 tratarse con alguien: no me gusta la gente con la que se trata I don't like the people he mixes with; se trata con gente de la alta sociedad she socializes o mixes with people from high society, she moves in high circles; ¿tú te tratas con los Rucabado? are you friendly with the Rucabados?
2 (recíproco): somos parientes pero no nos tratamos we're related but we never see each other o we never have anything to do with each other
B (+ complemento)
1 (recíproco): se tratan de usted/tú they address each other as `usted'/`tú'; se tratan sin ningún respeto they have o show no respect for each other
2 (reflexivo) to treat oneself; ¡qué mal te tratas, eh! (irónico) you don't treat yourself badly, do you?, you know how to look after yourself, don't you?
C (Medicina) (seguir un tratamiento) to have o undergo treatment
D tratarse de (en 3a persona)
1 (ser acerca de) to be about; ¿de qué se trata? what's it about?, what does it concern? (formal); se trata de Roy it's about Roy
2 (ser cuestión de): se trata de arreglar la situación, no de discutir we're supposed to be settling things, not arguing; si sólo se trata de eso, hazlo pasar ahora if that's all it is o if that's all he wants, show him in now; bueno, si se trata de echarle un vistazo nada más … OK, if it's just a question of having a quick look at it …
3 (ser): se trata de la estrella del equipo we're talking about o he is the star of the team; tratándose de usted, no creo que haya inconvenientes

[Perikles]

As for intentar: (I have to use 2 posts)

intentar [A1] verbo transitivo: ¡no te des por vencido, inténtalo otra vez! don't give up, try again! o have another try!; ¿qué pierdes con intentarlo? what have you got to lose by trying?; el piloto intentó un aterrizaje de emergencia the pilot attempted an emergency landing; intentar + inf to try to + inf; intentaré convencerlo I'll try to persuade him; intentaban escalar el pico más alto they were attempting o trying to climb the highest peak; intenta llegar temprano try to o (familiar) try and arrive early; intentar que + subj: ¿has intentado que te lo arreglen? have you tried getting o to get it fixed?; intenta que no te vean try not to let them see you; por intentarlo que no quede (familiar) there's no harm in trying


Next two verbs please?

[laepelba]

Fantastic! Thanks, Perikles!! That is very helpful! I like the other meanings/uses of tratar ... never came upon those before. I especially like the one about "un libro/obra/película trata sobre..." because I've always tried saying "el libro es sobre...", but that sounds TOO English for me...

I wrote an email to a Peruvian friend earlier this week. She had been telling me not to worry about accents in emails, and I wrote: "... yo sé, pero estoy intentando aprender lo más correcto...." After I sent it, I wasn't sure it was correct. Now I know.

Two more verbs? I'll think about it and get back to you ... there are sooooo many. Thanks again!!

[Perikles]

You are welcome, I like to be useful.

[laepelba]

Okay - I want to revisit this topic. I thought I was okay on "tratar" and "intentar" until a Mexican friend of mine sent this in an email:

(Context - talking about something that she doesn't want to do, but will try...) "pero lo trataré de intentar.... " Huh? Is this merely emphasizing the fact that she is going to try? I don't quite get it......

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Yur intuition is fine.
I'd say it's either "trataré de hacerlo" or "lo intentaré". Otherwise, she'd be saying her efforts will stop at the try. However, many people use this kind of formulas, believing that a combination of more words will add rhetorical power to their sentences; or they have heard so many times a wrong combination of words, that they don't even stop and think about what they're actually saying.