Thread: пытаться or стараться

Hi,

Just wondering if these words, пытаться and стараться, are interchangeable. If not, can someone give me an example of when each is used? Thanks!

Sometimes they are interchangable, sometimes one sounds better than the other.

Generally,
пытаться - to try, to make an attempt to do something
стараться - to try, to do your best or to make an effort to do it in a certain way

eg.
Я стараюсь быть вежливым со всеми, кого встречаю ~ I do my best to be polite to everyone I meet
Я пытаюсь быть вежливым со всеми, кого встречаю ~ I try to be polite to everyone I meet (but I probably fail)