she said she tried vs she said she had tried

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "She said she tried" is used when reporting someone's statement in the past, while "she said she had tried" is used when reporting someone's past action before another past action. They are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 885 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used when reporting someone's statement in the past.

"she said she tried"

This phrase is used to report what someone said about trying something in the past. It is a simple past tense construction.

Examples:

She said she tried the new restaurant last night.
He said he tried calling her, but she didn't answer.
They said they tried their best to finish the project on time.

Show examples from the web [+]

She said she tried it once at camp.
She said she tried to remove them, but her son insisted.
The weird thing is she said she'd already tried stink bug.
She said every time she tried to have a cigarette, that she would hiccup.
She Said She'd Tried To Understand You, But She Couldn't Make Any Sense Of What You Were Saying About This Money,
You said she tried to kill you once.
You said she tried to speak.
She described Assange as violent and said she tried to refuse his advances.
They said she tried to chop it off herself.
He said she tried to control his mind.
You said she tried to cut you?
She said someone tried to access government files from one of my computers.
And she said I tried to kill her.
She said you tried to kill the kid once before with gas.
The Industry Committee, she said, tried to promote innovation and improve technology.
She said people tried to be good, but they were really sick and rotten. Her, most of all.
She said I tried to be prettier than she was.
She said that you tried to strangle her.
My dad always said she never tried to contact us.
Said if she tried to accuse me of anything later, I could use it.

Alternatives:

She said she attempted
She mentioned she gave it a shot
She reported she tested it out
She indicated she experimented with it
She commented she sampled it

This phrase is correct and commonly used when reporting someone's past action before another past action.

"she said she had tried"

This phrase is used to report what someone said about having tried something before another past event. It is a past perfect tense construction.

Examples:

She said she had tried the recipe before she found the perfect one.
He said he had tried to fix the car, but it still wouldn't start.
They said they had tried to warn him about the danger, but he didn't listen.

Show examples from the web [+]

She said she tried it once at camp.
She said she tried to remove them, but her son insisted.
She said that I had tried to choke her during...
The weird thing is she said she'd already tried stink bug.
You said she tried to kill you once.
You said she tried to speak.
She said someone tried to access government files from one of my computers.
She described Assange as violent and said she tried to refuse his advances.
And she said I tried to kill her.
She said you tried to kill the kid once before with gas.
The Industry Committee, she said, tried to promote innovation and improve technology.
They said she tried to chop it off herself.
He said she tried to control his mind.
On embryonic stem cell research, he said he had tried to reach a compromise which could get majority support.
She said people tried to be good, but they were really sick and rotten. Her, most of all.
She said I tried to be prettier than she was.
She said that you tried to strangle her.
My dad always said she never tried to contact us.
She said you tried to kiss her, that she was uncomfortable and tried to leave.
Mom said she'd tried to go straight, but she started booking online.

Alternatives:

She said she had attempted
She mentioned she had given it a shot
She reported she had tested it out
She indicated she had experimented with it
She commented she had sampled it

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she said she tried vs she said she had tried