ようとする

1. 1To try or make an effort to do something, often implying the attempt failed or was not completed.Ex. 1
2. 2To be about to do something, often used as ようとした時 when another event interrupts.Ex. 2

Neutral in register and common in speech and writing, especially when narrating past events. The effort sense often contrasts the attempt with the result (〜ようとしたが、できなかった), and the verge sense often introduces an interrupting event (〜ようとした時). Unlike ようと思う, which only reports an intention, ようとする describes an attempt that is under way or an action about to begin.

• ようとしないN3「ようとしない」is the negative of「ようとする」, meaning 'refuse to...': it stresses an unwillingness to act, often describes other people with a tone of dissatisfaction, and with natural phenomena it can mean 'just won't ... (even as time passes)'. The meanings are opposites, so the two cannot be swapped.
• 〜るところだN3「〜るところだ」attaches to the dictionary form and matches only the 'be about to...' sense of this pattern, often with「今」or「ちょうど」and mostly to describe one's own current state; it carries no nuance of trying or making an effort.
• ようと思うN4「ようと思う」expresses only a mental intention and attaches only to volitional verbs, whereas「ようとする」describes trying or striving to carry out an action (often without success) or being about to do it, and can also be used with natural phenomena. The two cannot be interchanged.
• てみるN4「てみる」attaches to the te-form and means actually doing something to see the result or to experience it, with「てみた」indicating it has already been done; 「ようとした」centers on the intention or being on the verge of acting, and the action may not have been realized. 「てみる」is not used with natural phenomena and has no 'about to' meaning.
• つもりN5When expressing an intention,「つもり」attaches to the dictionary form and remains a mental plan that is not necessarily put into action, while「ようとする」attaches to the volitional form and indicates an attempt already underway or something about to happen. The two generally cannot be swapped, and「つもり」also has a separate 'under the mistaken impression that' sense.
• かけるN3「かける」attaches to the masu-stem and describes an action that has started but stopped midway, or a situation that almost happened (usually with non-volitional verbs), with no nuance of deliberate effort; 「ようとする」attaches to the volitional form and focuses on trying to do something or being about to start, with the target action usually not yet achieved.

ようとする marks an attempt or the verge of acting. By contrast, ようとしない shows refusal or unwillingness, 〜るところだ simply states that an action is imminent with no sense of effort, ようと思う and つもり express only an intention or plan, and てみる means actually doing something to see the result. 〜かける describes an action that has started but is left unfinished, or one on the verge of happening (泣きかけた can mean someone almost cried), without the sense of deliberate effort in ようとする.