tryna

English

Alternative forms

• trynna, tryinna, try'na, try'n'a

Etymology

Reduction of trying to. Chiefly AAVE, though also a natural realization of "trying to" in many other dialects. Compare gonna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹaɪ(ə)nə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪnə

Verb

tryna (auxiliary)

1. (slang, chiefly African-American) a future modal indicating intent
   • 1993, “U.N.I.T.Y.”, in Black Reign, performed by Queen Latifah:

     Every time I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a ho / Tryna make a sister feel low / You know all of that gots to go

   • 2001, Adam F featuring MOP, “Stand Clear”:

     You get caught in the middle, tryna dribble on my court

   • 2007 February 4, Kelefa Sanneh, “Friends, Feuds, Yelps, Sobs and a Swedish Nightingale”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     […] Mr. Kelly’s verse outshines all the others (“I’m tryna keep it R&B/But these streets is a part of me,” he sings, ascending into falsetto); he gives the chorus a tuneful makeover too.

   • 2019, Stormzy, “Vossi Bop”:

     Catch me up in snowin, in my sliders and my shorts / Chicks tryna get my brotha Flips to share his thoughts

   • 2019, Amanda Koci, Henry Walter, Charlie Puth, Maria Smith, Victor Thellm Gigi Grombacher, Roland Spreckle, “So Am I”, performed by Ava Max:

     You're beautiful, but misunderstood / So why you tryna be just like the neighborhood?

   • 2023 November 7 (date recorded), Chae Young Park [i.e., Rosé]; Bruno Mars [pseudonym; Peter Gene Hernandez] [et al.], “Apt.”, in Rosie, performed by Rosé and Bruno Mars, New York, N.Y.: Atlantic Records; Seoul, South Korea: The Black Label, published 18 October 2024:

     Kissy face, kissy face / Sent to your phone, but / I'm tryna kiss your lips for real (uh-huh, uh-huh)

See also

• finna, gonna, wanna, gotta, oughta, Imma

Anagrams

• ATryn, Taryn, ranty, tyran

Swedish

Etymology

From tryne.

Verb

tryna (present trynar, preterite trynade, supine trynat, imperative tryna)

1. (colloquial) to sleep (in a more or less lazy manner)

   Synonym: sova

   ligga och tryna

   lounge in bed

2. (colloquial) to be ineffectually idle, to idle, to slack off, to lollygag

Conjugation

Conjugation of tryna (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	tryna		trynas
supine	trynat		trynats
imperative	tryna		—
imper. plural1	trynen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	trynar	trynade	trynas	trynades
ind. plural1	tryna	trynade	trynas	trynades
subjunctive2	tryne	trynade	trynes	trynades
present participle		trynande
past participle		—

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

See also

• slappa
• slöa

References

• “tryna”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “tryna”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “tryna”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)