committed / engaged
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committed
When a person devotes themselves to a cause, person, or task with a lot of effort and interest.
Sie ist eine sehr engagierte Lehrerin, die sich um jeden Schüler kümmert.
She is a very committed teacher who looks after every student.
'Engagiert' (committed / engaged) is the past participle of the verb '(sich) engagieren' (to get involved / to commit oneself) and is used as an adjective. This pattern is common with many verbs borrowed from French, e.g. 'interessiert' (interested) from 'interessieren' (to interest).
Er engagiert sich für den Umweltschutz.
He is committed to environmental protection.
'Engagiert' (committed / engaged) does not mean 'verlobt sein' (to be engaged to be married), like the English word 'engaged'. For 'verlobt' (engaged to be married), German uses the word 'verlobt'. 'Engagiert' means 'with a lot of dedication' or 'passionately involved'.
Meine Schwester ist seit letztem Jahr verlobt.
My sister has been engaged since last year.
The meaning 'committed to a cause' is general. The meaning 'contracted' is specific to the field of arts and culture, e.g. with actors, musicians, or directors.
Sie ist eine engagierte Tierschützerin.
She is a committed animal rights activist.
If you want to express what someone is committed to, you use the preposition 'für' with the accusative or 'in' with the dative. The corresponding verb is 'sich engagieren' (to get involved / to commit oneself).
Er ist stark in der Lokalpolitik engagiert.
He is heavily involved in local politics.
'Engagiert' (committed) is often combined with adverbs to describe the degree of commitment, e.g. 'stark engagiert' (highly committed), 'politisch engagiert' (politically active/committed), or 'sozial engagiert' (socially committed).
Sie war schon als Studentin politisch sehr engagiert.
She was already very politically active as a student.
active
'aktiv' and 'engagiert' both describe people who do something and do not remain passive. 'aktiv' mainly means that someone participates, acts, or is physically and mentally lively. 'engagiert' goes one step further: the person devotes themselves to a cause, a task, or other people with interest and energy. Learners may confuse the words because both fit in contexts such as clubs, work, or school. If you only mean participation, 'aktiv' is often enough. If effort and personal interest are important, 'engagiert' is more precise.
Der neue Kollege ist sehr engagiert und hilft auch nach Feierabend beim Projekt.
The new colleague is very committed and helps with the project even after work.
Sarah ist im Unterricht aktiv und meldet sich oft.
Sarah is active in class and often raises her hand.