The Japanese expression "てみる" (temiru) is used to indicate that you are trying or experiencing an action. It is formed from the verb "見る" (miru), which normally means "to see" or "to look". However, when "miru" is used after a verb in the form て (te), as in "てみる", the meaning changes to "to try" or "to experience".
To understand this logically, imagine you're trying something new. First, you "see" if it's possible to carry out the action. That is, you check that you can do what you're trying. This process of seeing if you can carry out an action is what "temiru" stands for - the act of trying or experimenting.
It is important to note that when using "temiru", it is not necessary to write the verb "miru" (見る) with kanji. Writing "temiru" only in hiragana can avoid confusion for those learning Japanese, preventing them from thinking that it refers to the verb "to see" in its literal sense.
Table of Content
Testing the Temiru
日本語を教えてみます。 Nihongo o oshiete mimasu.
I will try to teach Japanese.
これ食べてみる? Kore tabete miru?
Want to try eating? It can suggest: Want a bite?
少し考えてみます. Sukoshi kangaete mimasu.
I'll think a little about it.
The verb "temiru" can be conjugated to express different intentions. For example, you can use the form "たい" (tai) to indicate that you want to try something. So, "やってみたい" (yatte mitai) means "I want to try".
However, not all sentences with the expression "みたい" (mitai) should be translated as "wanting to try". Sometimes, "mitai" can simply express the desire to try something or the appearance of something. Therefore, the interpretation will depend on the context of the sentence.
やってみたい。 Yatte mitai.
I want to try!
会ってみたい Atte mitai
I would like to (try, experience) to get to know you.
みんなを笑いの 渦 に巻き込んでみたい。
I want to (try to) put a smile on everyone's face.
"てます" - "Temasu"
There are several other ways of using the verb "to see" in Japanese, apart from "てみる" (temiru). For example, "みせる" (miseru) means "to show" and is used to indicate that you are showing something, rather than trying to do something.
It's important to remember that "temiru" is just one of the many ways of expressing the act of trying or experimenting in Japanese. Another relevant verb is "試す" (tamesu), which means to try, test or experiment. The verb "tamesu" is often used to test or investigate something in a more detailed or methodical way.
When "tamesu" is combined with "temiru", forming "こころみる" (kokoromiru), the meaning becomes "to try" or "to test the result/performance of an action". Here are some examples:
- 脱走を試みる Trying to escape (from prison)
- 能力を試す - Test the capacity
These forms offer different nuances for the concept of trying or experimenting in Japanese.
脱走を試みる. Dassō o kokoromiru.
Try to escape. (from prison)
能力を試す. Nōryoku o tamesu.
Test the ability. See other verbs that can mean to try or to experiment:
ラーメンを試食する。 Rāmen o shishoku suru.
Try the ramen. (to test)
彼は全力を尽くした Kare wa zenryoku o tsukushita
He tried his best.
Video lessons
To finish and complement this article, we will leave a video class by Sensei Luiz Rafael along with phrases for you to study:
使ってみるとわかる。 Tsukatte miruto wakaru.
If you try to use it, you'll understand.
- 使う（つかう）：usar
- わかる：entender
食べてみると、思っていたより美味しかった。 Tabete miru to, Shitau tte ita yori oishikatta.
When I tried to eat it was tastier than I thought.
- 食べる（たべる）：comer
- 思う（おもう）：think, find
- より：more than
- 美味しい（おいしい）：gostoso
その問題は解いてみると簡単でした。 Sono mondai wa hodoite miruto kantandeshita.
When trying to solve this problem, it was easy.
- その：esse
- 問題（もんだい）：problem, question
- 解く（とく）：resolver
- 簡単（かんたん）：simples
- でした：foi
どんな仕事でもやってみる価値がある。 Don'na shigoto de moyatte miru kachigāru.
No matter what the job is, it's worth a try.
- どんな：o tipo de
- 仕事（しごと）：trabalho
- やってみる：tentar
- 価値（かち）：value, merit
- ある：have, exist