to prove oneself
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to prove oneself
To show that oneself or a thing is well suited, reliable, and useful for a specific purpose or situation.
Das neue Softwaresystem hat sich im Alltagsbetrieb bestens bewährt.
The new software system has proven itself very well in everyday operations.
This verb is always reflexive and must be used with the appropriate reflexive pronoun (sich, mich, dich, etc.). It describes that something or someone shows their suitability.
Ich muss mich in meiner neuen Rolle erst noch bewähren.
I still have to prove myself in my new role.
'Sich bewähren' (to prove oneself) is often combined with 'in' (+ dative) for the situation or 'als' (+ nominative) for the role or function.
Dieses Werkzeug hat sich in der Werkstatt gut bewährt.
This tool has proven itself useful in the workshop.
The past participle 'bewährt' is very often used as an adjective before a noun. It then means 'tried and tested', 'reliable', or 'having worked well for a long time'.
Wir nutzen für dieses Problem eine bewährte Methode.
We use a tried-and-tested method for this problem.
to work
'funktionieren' and 'sich bewähren' can both say that something is good or fulfills its purpose. 'funktionieren' describes more directly whether something works right now: a device, a plan, or a solution. 'sich bewähren' means more: someone or something shows in practice, often over a longer period of time or in a difficult situation, that they are reliable and useful. Learners may confuse the words because both sound positive. If you only mean that something operates or works, use 'funktionieren'. If you want to say that something has passed a real-world test, use 'sich bewähren'.
Beim ersten großen Projekt hat sich die neue Kollegin sehr bewährt.
On the first major project, the new colleague proved herself very well.
Nach der Reparatur funktioniert die Waschmaschine wieder ohne Probleme.
After the repair, the washing machine works again without any problems.