to profess / confess
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to profess allegiance to
To publicly and openly declare one's support, affiliation, or conviction for a person, idea, or group.
Der Künstler bekannte sich öffentlich zu seinem politischen Engagement.
The artist publicly professed his commitment to political activism.
'Bekennen' (to profess/confess) is an inseparable verb because it has the prefix 'be-'. The prefix remains firmly attached to the verb 'kennen' in all sentence forms and tenses and is not placed at the end of the sentence.
Er bekannte seine Schuld vor der ganzen Familie.
He confessed his guilt in front of the whole family.
In this meaning, 'bekennen' (to profess allegiance to) is always used reflexively and with the preposition 'zu' + dative. The structure is: Jemand bekennt sich zu etwas/jemandem (someone professes allegiance to something/someone).
Die Politikerin bekennt sich zu ihrer liberalen Haltung.
The politician professes her commitment to her liberal stance.
When 'bekennen' (to confess) means 'gestehen' (to confess/admit), it is used with an accusative object. The structure is: Jemand bekennt etwas (someone confesses something).
Der Angeklagte bekannte den Einbruch, aber nicht den Diebstahl.
The defendant confessed to the break-in, but not to the theft.
The meaning 'gestehen' (to confess) is used almost exclusively in a legal or religious context. Typical combinations are 'seine Schuld bekennen' (to confess one's guilt) or 'seine Sünden bekennen' (to confess one's sins).
Im Beichtstuhl bekannte sie ihre Sünden.
In the confessional, she confessed her sins.
'Farbe bekennen' (to show one's true colors) is a fixed idiom. It means that someone can or should no longer hide their true opinion or intention.
In der Diskussion über das neue Projekt musste der Chef endlich Farbe bekennen.
In the discussion about the new project, the boss finally had to show his true colors.
to support
'unterstützen' and 'sich bekennen zu' can both show that you stand behind a person, idea, or group. The difference lies in the emphasis. 'unterstützen' means that you help, agree, or actively advocate for something. 'sich bekennen zu' mainly means that you state or show your position openly. So you can 'sich zu einer Idee bekennen' (openly declare support for an idea) without immediately helping in a practical way. And you can support something without strongly emphasizing it publicly.
Vor der Presse bekennt sich der Bürgermeister klar zu dem neuen Projekt.
In front of the press, the mayor clearly declares his support for the new project.
Sie unterstützt die Entscheidung ihrer Familie.
She supports her family's decision.