Tratar de preguntar

Question

I saw it in a piece of spoken text by a Mexican guy talking about time. I can roughly understand what he's talking about from the context, but I find it difficult to give a clear translation. How would you translate the bolded part?

La hora es muy importante. Yo no podría vivir sin la hora. Cuando trato de preguntar la hora siempre me dirijo… primero, antes de preguntar la hora me acerco a la persona tratando de buscar si tiene reloj porque sería muy tonto y absurdo si le pregunto la hora a una persona que no tiene reloj.

Answer 1

Tratar de + infinitive = To try to + infinitive

Ah, thanks - S1r_Wakka, Aug 16, 2011

Answer 2

Hmmm...this is what I would say!

"Tratar de + infinitive" - to try to...

Tratar de preguntar - to try to ask

"Tratar" is a linked verb, meaning it will have the preposition "de" between it and an infinitve.

For more information on linked verbs, read here.

Wow. Great list for reference. I hope I can memorize all that.... - S1r_Wakka, Aug 16, 2011