try / test

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What's the difference betwen "try" and "test"?
I tried my friend and he met my standards.
or
I tested my friend and he met my standards.
Which is correct? Could you please explain the difference to me?
 

Rover_KE

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We need more context to be sure.

What are you trying or testing him for?

Rover
 
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Sorry for my late answer. I hope this context is helpful. Which one is natural? Any difference, please?
Whenever I want to make new friends, I have some standards of my own. I try / test them in different fields. The most important thing is trust. If they prove they are trustworthy, I make friends with them easily and quickly. But these days trying / testing people is very difficult because as if they know they are being tried / tested, so they just pretend!
 

bhaisahab

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Sorry for my late answer. I hope this context is helpful. Which one is natural? Any difference, please?
Whenever I want to make new friends, I have some standards of my own. I try / test them in different fields. The most important thing is trust. If they prove they are trustworthy, I make friends with them easily and quickly. But these days trying / testing people is very difficult because as if they know they are being tried / tested, so they just pretend!

The whole concept is alien to me. I have never thought to apply criteria to "test" people to see if they are worthy of my friendship.
 

5jj

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The word you want seems to be 'test'. I would imagine that people who know you might find this whole thing rather trying.
 

Chicken Sandwich

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The whole concept is alien to me. I have never thought to apply criteria to "test" people to see if they are worthy of my friendship.

It seemed alien to me as well, but then I thought a little harder, and one example of such a "test" sprang to mind. I remembered that I once read an interview with Quentin Tarantino and he seemed to employ a test to see if a woman is worthy of his "friendship":

“When I’m getting serious about a girl, I show her Rio Bravo and she better $@#&*%! like it.”

Perhaps a wee bit offtopic :).
 
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5jj

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It is unlikely that I could be good friend with a person who held certain beliefs, , but I would not dream of testing or setting traps for someone I was getting to know. That smacks to me of trying to find out if they were 'good enough' to be my friend. I'm with bhai - the concept is alien to me. However, this is a language forum, so we try to answer the language question.
 
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Excuse me, but why is it ailen to you? :shock:
You never test your friends? You simply make friends with anyone?
I was asked to come up with a context and I put it there just to get the word (test or try) I needed.
And, if I have gotten it right, it must be "test" and not "try". Am I right?
 

charliedeut

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Hi,

It is alien to me too. But it is so because 'making friends' with anyone is a process that takes time. Time itself will test friendship enought times, so I don't see the point in testing it beforehand.

charliedeut.
 
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5jj

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Can we keep this to a discussion of language, please? I admit that I went off-topic too, but my sin should not be a precedent for others.

You can continue the discussion on whether testing friends is acceptable here: General Members Discussions
 
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