This is the 1928th most frequent Russian word.
пытаться
"To try" or "to attempt."
The word 'пытаюсь' (a form of 'пытаться') is used to express an attempt to perform an activity or achieve understanding.
Я пытаюсь понять эту задачу.
I am trying to understand this task.
Here, 'пытались' indicates an attempt to accomplish a specific action, focusing on past-time effort.
Они пытались открыть дверь, но ключ не подошёл.
They tried to open the door, but the key didn't fit.
In this context, 'пытаться' is used to describe ongoing effort that the subject is advised to discontinue.