student asking question

Are "try" and "try out" different?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Excellent question. The phrase to "try" somthing often has two partially meanings. The first is an attempt to do or accomplish something. The second meaning is to make a decision about something by experiment or experience. Ex: I'm trying a new diet. (Can mean both I'm going to attempt to follow this diet, and/or evaluate it). But for most native speakers, to "try out" something (or to "try something out") would usually mean only to make a decision about something by experiment or experience. The phrase "try out" is strongly associated with making a judgment. "Try out" also implies that there is no question of your ability to do a thing, only that choosing to continue doing/using a thing will depend on your enjoyment of the results of your trial. Because of this "try out" and "try" are not always interchangeable, and in this clip they would not be.

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