to guarantee / vouch
Loading your saved state.
to act as guarantor
To take on financial or legal responsibility for another person's debts or obligations. You guarantee that you will step in if the other person cannot pay or fulfill the obligation.
Seine Eltern mussten für seinen Kredit bei der Bank bürgen.
His parents had to act as guarantors for his bank loan.
The verb 'bürgen' (to guarantee / vouch) is almost always used with the preposition 'für' (for) and the accusative. You 'bürgt für jemanden' (vouch for someone) or 'für etwas' (for something).
Ich kann nicht für das Verhalten meines Bruders bürgen.
I can't vouch for my brother's behavior.
This verb belongs to a word family. 'Der Bürge' is the person who acts as guarantor, and 'die Bürgschaft' is the guarantee itself. Recognizing this family helps with vocabulary learning.
Um die Wohnung zu mieten, brauchte er einen Bürgen.
In order to rent the apartment, he needed a guarantor.
When a person 'bürgt' (acts as guarantor), it is usually about finances, e.g. for a loan. When an abstract term like 'der gute Ruf' (the good reputation) or 'der Name' (the name) 'bürgt' (vouches), it is about a guarantee of quality.
Mein Onkel hat für mein Studiendarlehen gebürgt.
My uncle acted as guarantor for my student loan.
hand
'die Hand für jemanden ins Feuer legen' and 'bürgen für' both mean that you strongly stand up for someone or something. The idiom with 'Hand' is very figurative and emphasizes great personal trust: you are almost completely sure that someone is reliable. 'bürgen' is more direct and can generally mean that you guarantee quality, correctness, or reliability. In legal or financial situations, 'bürgen' also has a special meaning that the idiom does not have. For personal trust, the idiom sounds stronger and more emotional.
Die Firma bürgt für die Qualität ihrer neuen Geräte.
The company guarantees the quality of its new devices.
Für meine Kollegin lege ich die Hand ins Feuer; sie arbeitet immer ehrlich.
I would vouch for my colleague; she always works honestly.