Learn Italian: Il mago prova a stupire il pubblico con la bacchetta. - The magician tries to amaze the audience with the wand.

In Italian, certain verbs require a specific preposition before another verb in the infinitive (the dictionary form of a verb). Provare (to try) is one of those verbs that always needs the preposition a when it is followed by an action, like stupire (to amaze). So, "to try to do something" is always provare a fare qualcosa.

Could I use cerca di instead of prova a to say "tries to"?

Yes! Both cercare di and provare a mean "to try to do something" and they are often used interchangeably. Just remember the preposition rules: cercare takes the preposition di, while provare requires the preposition a. You could absolutely say Il mago cerca di stupire il pubblico and it would mean the same thing.

Is pubblico a false friend? The translation says "audience" rather than "public".

It is actually both! Il pubblico can mean "the public" in a general, everyday sense, but it is also the standard Italian word for "the audience" or "the crowd" at a show, theater, or magic act.

What does bacchetta mean outside of a magic show?