der Versuch
attempt
The act of trying to do or achieve something, often without certainty that it will succeed.
EXAMPLE
Sein erster Versuch, den Kuchen zu backen, ist leider misslungen.
His first attempt to bake the cake unfortunately failed.
der Versuch
attempt / experiment
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Meanings
der Versuch
experiment
A scientific experiment or test carried out under controlled conditions in order to test a hypothesis or gain knowledge.
EXAMPLE
Im Labor führen die Studenten einen chemischen Versuch durch.
In the lab, the students conduct a chemical experiment.
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Versuch' (the attempt / experiment) is the noun related to the verb 'versuchen' (to try). When you try something, you make an attempt.
EXAMPLE
Ich versuche, das Problem zu lösen.
I am trying to solve the problem.
Sentence structure with infinitive
'Versuch' (attempt) is very often used with an infinitive construction with 'zu' (to) to describe what is being attempted. The pattern is: 'der Versuch, etwas zu tun' (the attempt to do something).
EXAMPLE
Der Versuch, den Weltrekord zu brechen, scheiterte knapp.
The attempt to break the world record failed narrowly.
Typical verbs
When it is about an action, 'Versuch' (attempt) is often combined with the verbs 'unternehmen' (to make / undertake), 'starten' (to start), or 'wagen' (to dare).
EXAMPLE
Er unternahm einen letzten Versuch, sie zu überzeugen.
He made one last attempt to convince her.
Context clue: science
In a scientific context, 'der Versuch' always means 'das Experiment' (the experiment). Signal words for this are 'Labor' (laboratory), 'wissenschaftlich' (scientific), 'Hypothese' (hypothesis), or verbs like 'durchführen' (to conduct) and 'auswerten' (to evaluate).
EXAMPLE
Die Forscherin wertet die Ergebnisse des Versuchs aus.
The researcher evaluates the results of the experiment.
Compare with
Versuch vs Test
test
Versuch and Test can both refer to a controlled examination. A Versuch is more often used to try out a process or gain new insights. A Test checks specifically according to certain criteria whether something works or has a required property.
Versuch
In einem Versuch untersuchen wir, wie der neue Motor auf starke Kälte reagiert.
In an experiment, we are examining how the new engine reacts to extreme cold.
Test
In einem Test prüfen wir, ob der neue Motor bei starker Kälte zuverlässig startet.
In a test, we are checking whether the new engine starts reliably in extreme cold.
In real life
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