to engage / hire
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to get involved
To actively commit oneself with personal effort to a cause, a person, or a goal, or to fight against something.
Sie engagiert sich ehrenamtlich für den Umweltschutz.
She volunteers and gets involved in environmental protection.
Pay attention to whether the verb is used reflexively ('sich engagieren') or transitively ('jemanden engagieren'). The reflexive form means to commit oneself to something, while the transitive form means 'to hire someone'.
Sie engagiert sich in ihrer Freizeit für soziale Projekte.
She gets involved in social projects in her free time.
When you commit yourself to a cause, the prepositions 'für' (for) or 'gegen' (against) are followed by the accusative. Without these prepositions, the sentence is usually incomplete.
Er engagiert sich für mehr Gerechtigkeit.
He is committed to more justice.
In the meaning 'einstellen' (to hire), 'engagieren' is typically used for professions or services that you book for a specific purpose. Common examples are: einen Anwalt engagieren (to hire a lawyer), eine Band engagieren (to hire a band), or einen Experten engagieren (to hire an expert).
Für die Konferenz wurde eine berühmte Rednerin engagiert.
A famous speaker was hired for the conference.
The meaning 'sich verloben' (to get engaged) is very rare today and is considered outdated or elevated. It is now used almost only in literary or historical contexts.
In dem Roman engagiert sich die Hauptfigur mit einem reichen Adligen.
In the novel, the main character gets engaged to a wealthy nobleman.
to fight
'kämpfen' and 'sich engagieren' can both mean that you strongly support or oppose something. 'kämpfen' sounds stronger and often more difficult. It fits when there is resistance, problems, or a long, exhausting effort. 'sich engagieren' usually sounds calmer and more organized. It is often used for volunteer work, social issues, or political goals. So you can 'sich für den Umweltschutz engagieren' (get involved in environmental protection), but 'gegen eine große Ungerechtigkeit kämpfen' (fight against a major injustice) when the effort feels especially hard.
Meine Mutter engagiert sich im Verein für Familien in der Nachbarschaft.
My mother is involved in the club for families in the neighborhood.
Viele Menschen kämpfen seit Jahren für bessere Arbeitsbedingungen.
Many people have been fighting for better working conditions for years.