To sign 'tried' (which is the same as 'try'), start with both hands in 'A' handshapes (fists with your thumbs resting against the side of your index fingers) in front of your chest. Your palms should face each other. Push both hands forward and slightly downward in a smooth, deliberate motion.
Point to yourself for 'I', sign 'tried' by pushing your 'A' handshapes forward, then sign 'learn' and 'Spanish'.
Point to the person for 'he', use the firm forward motion for 'tried', then sign 'fix' and 'car'.
Point to the person for 'you', sign 'tried', and point to the object, making sure to raise your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question.
Point to yourself for 'I', sign 'tried' by pushing your 'A' handshapes forward, then sign 'learn' and 'Spanish'.
Point to the person for 'he', use the firm forward motion for 'tried', then sign 'fix' and 'car'.
Point to the person for 'you', sign 'tried', and point to the object, making sure to raise your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question.
In ASL, verbs do not change their form to show past tense. You use the same sign for 'try' and 'tried'. To indicate the past, you establish the timeframe at the beginning of your sentence (like signing 'yesterday' or 'before'), or simply rely on the established context.
Yes! The sign for 'try' is conceptually the same as 'attempt' or 'make an effort'. You can use this exact same motion and handshape whenever you want to convey the idea of putting effort into something.
Yes, some people use 'T' handshapes, which is an initialized version of the sign based on the English letter 'T'. However, the 'A' handshape version shown here is very common, widely understood, and often preferred as the traditional ASL sign.
