Try to Do vs Try to Doing: Grammar Rules, Meaning and Examples
English learners often become confused when deciding what form of a verb should follow try. One common question is whether we should say “try to do” or “try to doing.” Although these expressions look similar, they do not have the same grammatical status. In standard English, “try to do” is correct, while “try to doing” is generally incorrect.
The confusion usually occurs because English uses both infinitives and -ing forms after verbs. In the case of “try,” however, there are two established patterns: “try to do something” and “try doing something.” Understanding these structures is important because they express slightly different ideas and help speakers communicate more precisely.
What Does “Try to Do” Mean?
The expression “try to do” uses the infinitive form of a verb. Its structure is try + to + base verb. It is used when someone makes an effort or attempts to accomplish a particular action.
For example, “I tried to open the door” means that I made an effort to open the door. The sentence does not tell us whether I succeeded. Similarly, “She is trying to improve her English” means that she is making an effort to improve her English.
Other examples include “He tried to solve the problem,” “They tried to finish the project on time,” and “We tried to contact the manager.” In each case, the speaker is focusing on an attempt to accomplish a goal.
Why “Try to Doing” Is Incorrect
“Try to doing” is not the normal grammatical construction in standard English because the word “to” in “try to do” is part of the infinitive. After this infinitive marker, English requires the base form of the verb.
Therefore, we say “try to understand,” “try to learn,” “try to help,” and “try to improve.” We do not normally say “try to understanding,” “try to learning,” “try to helping,” or “try to improving.”
The grammatical pattern is straightforward: try + to + base verb. Once learners recognize that “to” introduces an infinitive in this structure, the reason for the error becomes easier to understand.
What Is the Correct Alternative to “Try to Doing”?
If someone wants to use an -ing form after “try,” the correct construction is “try doing,” not “try to doing.”
For example, “Try restarting the computer” is grammatically correct. “Try to restarting the computer” is incorrect in standard English.
The two correct structures have slightly different meanings. “Try to restart the computer” focuses on making an effort to restart it. “Try restarting the computer” presents restarting as a possible method or solution.
This distinction is particularly useful in advice, problem-solving, instructions, and everyday conversations.
Try to Do vs Try to Doing: The Main Difference
The important point is that these are not two competing grammatical forms. One is correct and the other is generally incorrect. The real comparison is between “try to do” and “try doing.”
“Try to do” means making an attempt to accomplish something. “Try doing” means experimenting with an action to see whether it works or produces a desired result.
For example, “Try to open the window” encourages someone to make an effort to open it. Perhaps the window is difficult to move. On the other hand, “Try opening the window” can be a suggestion that opening it may solve a problem, such as improving ventilation.
This difference is small but meaningful. The first construction emphasizes effort, while the second often emphasizes an experiment or possible solution.
When to Use “Try to Do”
Use the infinitive when the action itself is the goal or when someone is making an effort to accomplish it.
For example, “I tried to understand the explanation” means I made an effort to understand it. “She tried to complete the assignment before dinner” means completing the assignment was her goal. “They tried to win the competition” means they made an effort to achieve victory.
The result is not necessarily successful. The word “try” simply indicates that an attempt was made.
This construction is also common with negative instructions. For example, “Try not to worry” means make an effort to avoid worrying. “Try not to make the same mistake” means make an effort to avoid repeating it.
When to Use “Try Doing”
The -ing construction is used when an action is presented as something worth testing. It is often used when giving advice or suggesting a possible solution.
For example, “Try drinking some water” suggests that drinking water might help. “Try changing the password” suggests that changing it could solve a problem. “Try asking your teacher” presents asking the teacher as one possible approach.
The action may or may not work. The important idea is that it is being proposed as something to test.
This structure is especially common in conversational English because people frequently suggest practical solutions using expressions such as “Try taking,” “Try using,” “Try changing,” and “Try checking.”
Why Learners Confuse These Structures
The confusion often comes from the fact that many English verbs can be followed by either an infinitive or an -ing form. For example, learners encounter structures such as “want to learn,” “enjoy learning,” “avoid making,” and “decide to make.”
Because both forms are common after different verbs, learners may incorrectly combine the infinitive marker “to” with an -ing form after “try.” This produces “try to doing.”
Another reason is that “to” sometimes functions as a preposition in English, in which case it can be followed by an -ing form. For example, “I look forward to meeting you” is correct. Here, “to” is a preposition rather than an infinitive marker.
However, in “try to do,” the word “to” introduces the infinitive, so the next verb must be in its base form.
Common Examples of the Correct Pattern
Consider the sentence “I am trying to learn English.” Here, “to learn” is an infinitive and correctly follows “trying.”
“We tried to fix the car” means that we made an effort to repair it.
“She tried to explain the situation” means that she made an attempt to explain it.
“He tried to remember the answer” means that he made an effort to recall it.
In each example, “to” is followed by the base form of the verb.
Common Errors and Their Corrections
A frequent error is saying, “I tried to solving the problem.” The correct sentence is “I tried to solve the problem.”
Another incorrect sentence is “She is trying to improving her pronunciation.” The correct form is “She is trying to improve her pronunciation.”
Similarly, “They tried to finding a solution” should be changed to “They tried to find a solution.”
When an -ing form is intended, the sentence needs a different structure. For example, instead of “Try to restarting the computer,” say “Try restarting the computer.”
These corrections demonstrate an important principle: do not combine “to” from the infinitive structure with the -ing form of the following verb.
A Simple Way to Remember the Rule
A useful memory technique is to associate “try to” with the base form of a verb. Whenever you see “try to,” ask yourself whether the next word is the basic form of the verb.
Thus, “try to learn,” “try to understand,” “try to finish,” and “try to help” are correct.
If you want to use an -ing form, remove the infinitive “to” and use the gerund structure: “try learning,” “try understanding,” “try finishing,” or “try helping.”
This simple distinction can prevent one of the most common mistakes involving the verb “try.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “try to doing” grammatically correct?
No. In standard English, “try to doing” is generally incorrect. The correct construction is “try to do,” with the base form after “to.”
What is the correct form: “try to do” or “try to doing”?
“Try to do” is correct. “Try to doing” is incorrect because an infinitive uses “to” followed by the base form of the verb.
Can “try” be followed by an -ing form?
Yes. The correct structure is “try doing.” It commonly means testing an action as a possible solution or method.
What is the difference between “try to do” and “try doing”?
“Try to do” emphasizes making an effort to accomplish an action. “Try doing” usually suggests experimenting with an action to see whether it works.
Is “try doing” grammatically correct?
Yes. For example, “Try restarting the computer” is grammatically correct and commonly used when suggesting a possible solution.
Why can’t we say “try to doing”?
Because “to” in “try to do” introduces an infinitive, and an infinitive requires the base form of the verb. Therefore, “try to learn” is correct, not “try to learning.”
Conclusion
The distinction between these forms is easier to understand once the underlying grammar is clear. “Try to do” is a correct infinitive structure, while “try to doing” is not normally correct in standard English. If an -ing form is needed after “try,” the correct construction is “try doing.”
The infinitive generally emphasizes an attempt or effort to accomplish a goal, whereas the -ing structure often presents an action as a possible method or experiment. For example, “Try to fix the computer” focuses on making an effort to repair it, while “Try restarting the computer” suggests restarting as a possible solution.
Remember the two useful patterns: try to + base verb and try + verb-ing. Avoid combining “to” with the -ing form after “try.” Mastering this simple distinction will make English writing and speaking more accurate, natural, and precise.