- wypróbować (pf) = to try out, to test.
- wypróbowany (adj) tried, tested and true
Some advice please … I tried a few online dictionaries for ‘wypróbować’. One gave no return, another one suggested that ‘wypróbować’ is the perfective of ‘próbować’. However another dictionary suggested that ‘spróbować’ (a word I have seen many times on CM) is the perfective partner to ‘próbować’. Is ‘wypróbować’ simply a second perfective form ‘próbować’? Or does it have a slightly different meaning? Thanks!
I might be wrong, but I think “wypróbować” is technically the perfective form of “wypróbowywać”, though you could say that in practice it works like the perfective of “próbować”.
“Spróbować” will probably be listed as the default perfective form of “próbować” in most dictionaries. The difference between “spróbować” and “wypróbować” is slight, though meaningful. To differentiate between the two, you can associate “spróbować” with “to try something”, and “wypróbować” with “to try something out”. It might not be 100% accurate, but I feel like this is the easiest way to memorize the two meanings.
You would use “wypróbować” when talking about trying out a solution, a product, a plan, a new car (as in: “take your new car for a spin”). Basically, anything that can be tested, and that can either work out or not.
“Spróbować” is more generic and is used to refer to tasting food, trying new experiences, etc.
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Many thanks for your reply. That makes much more sense now. I think I’ll use your suggestion of thinking of ‘wypróbować’ as ‘to test’ something i.e. to try something, perhaps on a temporary basis. Cheers!