to swear
Loading your saved state.
to swear
To make a very serious and solemn promise, often by invoking a higher authority such as God or in court. It expresses the highest level of commitment.
Vor Gericht musste der Zeuge schwören, die Wahrheit zu sagen.
In court, the witness had to swear to tell the truth.
to swear by
To have complete trust in someone or something and be convinced of it. You recommend it without reservation.
Meine Großmutter schwört bei Erkältungen auf heiße Zitrone mit Honig.
My grandmother swears by hot lemon with honey for colds.
to vow to oneself
To firmly and decisively promise yourself something or resolve to do something.
Nach der Niederlage schwor er sich, beim nächsten Mal besser vorbereitet zu sein.
After the defeat, he vowed to himself to be better prepared next time.
This verb has three central usage patterns that you need to know. You can say 'schwören, etwas zu tun' (to swear to do something), 'auf etwas schwören' (to swear by something), or 'sich etwas schwören' (to vow something to oneself).
Ich schwöre, ich habe das nicht gewusst.
I swear I didn't know that.
In the meaning of a serious promise, 'schwören' (to swear) is often used in fixed expressions. Typical ones are 'einen Eid schwören' (to swear an oath), 'Rache schwören' (to swear revenge), or 'jemandem ewige Treue schwören' (to swear eternal loyalty to someone).
Die beiden haben sich am Altar ewige Treue geschworen.
The two of them swore eternal loyalty to each other at the altar.
The expression 'schwören auf' (to swear by) is always used with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative. It expresses that you are absolutely convinced of the quality or effectiveness of something.
Mein Vater schwört auf diese Automarke und würde nie eine andere kaufen.
My father swears by this car brand and would never buy another one.
When you resolve to do something yourself, the verb is used reflexively: 'sich schwören' (to vow to oneself). The person is the subject, and the reflexive pronoun 'sich' is in the dative.
Ich habe mir geschworen, dieses Jahr mehr Sport zu treiben.
I vowed to myself to do more sports this year.
holy / sacred
In the expression “hoch und heilig versprechen,” heilig reinforces the seriousness of an assurance. Schwören, by contrast, itself means to make a very serious and solemn promise. Use heilig as an intensifier in this fixed expression, while schwören expresses the act of making the promise itself.
Vor Gericht musste der Zeuge schwören, die Wahrheit zu sagen.
The witness had to swear to tell the truth in court.
Ich verspreche dir hoch und heilig, dass ich niemandem davon erzählen werde.
I solemnly promise you that I won’t tell anyone about it.
