tentar
tempt
Probar hacer algo para ver si sale bien o para lograr un fin.
Definition & meaning
Tentar means to tempt: to attract someone toward something desirable, especially when it may be unwise or forbidden.
It can also mean to feel or probe something by touch, or, less commonly, to test or try something.
Grammar & Word origin
Tentar is a regular -ar verb, although its stem changes from e to ie in some present-tense forms: tiento, tientas, tienta.
It comes from Latin temptāre, meaning “to touch,” “test,” or “tempt.”
Synonyms & antonyms
- seducir — to entice or seduce; often suggests a stronger or more deliberate attraction.
- incitar — to urge someone to act, rather than merely make an option appealing.
- palpar — to feel or examine by touch; close to the physical sense of tentar.
- disuadir — to discourage someone from doing something, the opposite of tempting them toward it.
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
Las galletas siempre me tientan antes de cenar.verb
The cookies always tempt me before dinner.
El olor del pan recién hecho tentó a todos los que pasaban por la panadería.verb
The smell of freshly baked bread tempted everyone passing by the bakery.
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