TRY TO DO or TRY DOING?

Hi everyone, I’m Dan, and this is ANGLOPOD, a podcast and website to help you improve your English: https://www.anglopod.com

Today we’re going to learn how to use the verb TRY and how the meaning changes depending on the form of the next verb we use after it.

So what’s the difference between TRY TO DO and TRY DOING? Let’s look at an example sentence to see how we use them:

You could say:

TRY TO SPEAK English or TRY SPEAKING English. But what’s the difference? What do they mean?

Firstly, you could say: I will TRY TO SPEAK English every day. This means to make an effort, to work harder. Maybe you have an exam soon and you want to get a good grade, so you need to study harder, you need to make an effort. Maybe you’re too busy or even a bit lazy and you should practise more. So, you say: I will TRY TO SPEAK English every day.

However, you could also say: I will TRY SPEAKING English every day. This sounds more like you want to see if this is useful or fun. I will TRY SPEAKING English every day. You’re trying something new to see if it’s a good idea or if it’s something you like.

Here’s a different example: I will TRY SPEAKING English so they can understand. Again, you’re trying something new to see if it is useful or helpful. Maybe you’re talking to someone who doesn’t speak your language, so you decide to use English to see if they understand you better. I will TRY SPEAKING English so they can understand.

That’s easy right? OK, practice makes perfect, so go to ANGLOPOD.COM and try the quiz. Then you can write your own example sentences in the comments. Good luck and see you in the next class!