to become known
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to become known
To come to the attention of the public or a larger group of people. Often refers to information that was previously secret, private, or unknown.
Erst durch die Recherchen eines Journalisten wurden die wahren Hintergründe des Skandals bekannt.
Only through a journalist's investigations did the true background of the scandal become known.
The verb is made up of the adjective 'bekannt' (known) and the verb 'werden' (to become). It describes the process in which something moves from an unknown state to a known state.
Es darf nicht bekannt werden, dass wir hier waren.
It must not become known that we were here.
Since 'bekanntwerden' (to become known) describes a change of state (from secret to public), the perfect tense is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be).
Die Neuigkeit ist erst gestern Abend bekannt geworden.
The news only became known yesterday evening.
The subject of the verb is typically information that was not previously public. Common subjects are 'Details' (details), 'Pläne' (plans), 'ein Geheimnis' (a secret), 'ein Skandal' (a scandal), or 'die Wahrheit' (the truth).
Nach und nach wurden weitere Details über den Vorfall bekannt.
Little by little, further details about the incident became known.
to come out
Herauskommen and bekanntwerden can both express that other people learn about information. Herauskommen emphasizes that something was previously secret or hidden and is uncovered. Bekanntwerden more neutrally describes information reaching the public or a larger group.
Durch einen Zeitungsbericht wurde der Name des Spenders schließlich bekannt.
The donor's name eventually became known through a newspaper report.
Trotz strenger Geheimhaltung kam der Name des Spenders schließlich heraus.
Despite strict secrecy, the donor's name eventually came out.
