to overestimate
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to overestimate
To consider someone or something better, bigger, more important, or more capable than he, she, or it really is.
Ich glaube, wir haben den Aufwand für dieses Projekt völlig überschätzt; es war viel einfacher als gedacht.
I think we completely overestimated the effort required for this project; it was much easier than expected.
'Überschätzen' (to overestimate) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'über-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all sentence forms and tenses. The stress is on the stem: überSCHÄTzen.
Ich fürchte, sie hat ihre Fähigkeiten überschätzt.
I'm afraid she overestimated her abilities.
The verb consists of the prefix 'über-' and the verb 'schätzen' (to estimate/value). The prefix 'über-' here has the meaning of 'too much' or 'too high'. So 'überschätzen' (to overestimate) literally means 'to estimate too highly'.
Man sollte seine Gegner niemals überschätzen.
You should never overestimate your opponents.
There is an important difference between the transitive and reflexive uses. 'Etwas überschätzen' (to overestimate something) refers to an external thing, while 'sich überschätzen' (to overestimate oneself) means judging one's own abilities too highly.
Er hat die Kosten des Projekts stark überschätzt.
He greatly overestimated the costs of the project.
to evaluate / appraise
'bewerten' and 'überschätzen' both have to do with making an assessment, but they do not mean the same thing. 'bewerten' is neutral: you evaluate something or someone and may arrive at a good, bad, or average result. 'überschätzen' always means that the assessment is too high. You consider someone or something better, more important, or stronger than it really is. You can also overestimate yourself. The words can be confused because both express an opinion about performance or abilities. Memory tip: 'bewerten' can be right or wrong; 'überschätzen' is always too positive or too high.
Er überschätzt sich, weil er ohne Training an dem langen Lauf teilnehmen will.
He is overestimating himself because he wants to take part in the long run without training.
Meine Mutter bewertet die Preise im Supermarkt sehr genau.
My mother evaluates prices at the supermarket very carefully.