Consider the following sentences.
A: 昨日たこ焼きを作ってみた。
B: 昨日たこ焼きを作ろうとした。
A means that "I tried to make takoyaki and I really made it."
Questions
Does B always mean that "I tried to make takoyaki but I (did not)/(failed to) make it." ?
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A doesn't mean "I tried to make" but "I tried making". – user4092 Oct 25 '15 at 04:08
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@user4092, what's the difference? – dainichi Oct 29 '15 at 04:14
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No, B just says "I tried to make it", and it says nothing about the result, whether or not "I" was able to actually make it.
But as you might guess, a sentence like B is usually followed by something that prevents the speaker from doing so smoothly. Ultimately, the speaker may or may not succeed.
昨日たこ焼きを作ろうとした。だけど近所の店でタコが売られていなかったので、諦めた。
昨日たこ焼きを作ろうとした。おいしいたこ焼きができた。: Huh?
昨日たこ焼きを作ろうとした。だけど近所の店でタコが売られていなかった。車で1時間走ってタコを買ってきて、最終的にはおいしいたこ焼きができた。: OK
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Doesn't B include a situation when you just intended to do something (thought about doing something), but "failed" (or resigned because of some condition) even before trying? – macraf Oct 24 '15 at 11:34
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If you just thought of doing something, "～しようと思った" is mainly used. "～しようとした" is different, and usually means you actually attempted to do it at least for a moment (eg ネットで作り方を調べる、立ち上がって冷蔵庫の中身を見る、…) – naruto Oct 25 '15 at 06:25
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Does 宿題をしようとしたとき、友達が来た indicate that I actually did something? Or just intended to do my homework? – macraf Oct 25 '15 at 06:34
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Somewhere between you decide to do your homework *now*, and walk to your desk, open a textbook and actually start your homework. A lazy boy may say to his mother "今、宿題をしようとしてた!" for hours, though. – naruto Oct 25 '15 at 06:45