to persuade
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to persuade
To get someone to do something or agree with an opinion through gentle encouragement, arguments, or requests, even though the person initially did not want to.
Nach langem Zögern ließ er sich überreden, mit uns in den Urlaub zu fahren.
After long hesitation, he allowed himself to be persuaded to go on vacation with us.
The verb 'überreden' (to persuade) is inseparable. The prefix 'über-' remains directly attached to the verb 'reden' (to talk) in all sentence forms and tenses and is never placed at the end of the sentence.
Ich habe ihn überredet, mitzukommen.
I persuaded him to come along.
The word is made up of 'über' and 'reden' (to talk). The literal idea is that you talk at someone for so long that you have brought them 'over' from their original opinion to a new position.
Mit guten Argumenten konnte ich ihn schließlich überreden.
With good arguments, I was finally able to persuade him.
The structure is fixed: you persuade 'jemanden' (someone, accusative) 'zu etwas' (to something, dative). If the persuaded action is a verb, you use a 'zu' + infinitive construction.
Sie überredete ihn zu einem Ausflug.
She persuaded him to go on an outing.
The reflexive expression 'sich überreden lassen' (to let oneself be persuaded) is used very frequently. It expresses that a person eventually agrees after initially resisting.
Erst wollte er nicht, aber dann hat er sich doch überreden lassen.
At first he didn't want to, but then he let himself be persuaded after all.
to bring
'bringen' and 'überreden' can both mean that a person ends up doing something they initially did not want to do. The difference lies in how that happens. 'überreden' is used when you work with requests, kind words, or arguments. 'jemanden dazu bringen' (to get someone to do something) is more general: it can happen through persuasion, but also through pressure, a situation, or force. Learners may confuse the words because in both cases a person changes their decision. If you want to emphasize influence through talking, 'überreden' is more precise.
Nach langem Bitten überredet Anna ihren Bruder, sie zum Bahnhof zu fahren.
After much pleading, Anna persuades her brother to drive her to the train station.
Die strenge Frist bringt das Team dazu, heute länger zu arbeiten.
The strict deadline gets the team to work longer today.