Today’s Spanish word of the day is “probar”.
It’s a verb that means “to try” or “to test”. It can also mean “to taste” in the context of trying food. The reflexive form “probarse” means “to try on”.
The word comes from Latin probare, meaning “to test, examine or prove”. This is also the root of several English words including “prove”, “probe” and “probation”.
“Probar” is an irregular verb that is conjugated according to the same pattern as “contar” (“to count or “to tell”). Here’s the conjugation in the present tense:
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes prueban – They try, You try (plural)
- Yo pruebo – I try
- Tú pruebas – You try (informal singular)
- Él/Ella/Usted try – He/She tries, You try (formal singular)
- Nosotros/Nosotras probamos – We try
- Vosotros/Vosotras probáis – You try (informal plural, only used in Spain)
Example sentences
Ella va a probarse el vestido antes de comprarlo.
She’s going to try on the dress before buying it.
Debes probar este helado, es delicioso.
You should try this ice cream, it’s delicious.
Me gusta probar diferentes tipos de café.
I like trying different types of coffee.
Vamos a probar el coche antes de comprarlo.
We are going to try out the car before buying it.
El abogado intentó probar la inocencia de su cliente.
The lawyer tried to prove his client’s innocence.
