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"Intentar" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to try", and "pretender" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "to intend". Learn more about the difference between "intentar" and "pretender" below.
intentar(
een
-
tehn
-
tahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. to try
Cualquiera puede intentar hacer su propio jardín en casa.Anybody can try to make their own home garden.
b. to attempt
No intentes cambiar el foco sin una escalera.Don't attempt to change the lightbulb without a ladder.
pretender(
preh
-
tehn
-
dehr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to want)
2. (to affirm) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
a. to claim
No puedes pretender que no hay desigualdad salarial entre los hombres y las mujeres.You cannot claim that there is no wage inequality between men and women.
3. (to court)
a. to woo
En mi cultura, los hombres aún pretenden a las mujeres con ramos de rosas.In my culture, men still woo women with bouquets of roses.
