to overcome
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to overcome
To successfully cope with a difficulty, obstacle, or negative feeling such as fear or grief.
Es hat lange gedauert, bis sie den Schock über den Unfall überwinden konnte.
It took a long time before she was able to overcome the shock of the accident.
to force oneself
To force oneself to do something one is reluctant to do or does not feel like doing.
Ich musste mich wirklich überwinden, bei dem kalten Wetter joggen zu gehen.
I really had to force myself to go jogging in the cold weather.
to get past
To get past a physical barrier or cover a distance by going, climbing, or driving over it.
Die Wanderer mussten einen reißenden Fluss überwinden, um ihr Ziel zu erreichen.
The hikers had to get past a raging river to reach their destination.
'Überwinden' (to overcome) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'über-' is not stressed and remains firmly attached to the verb in all sentence forms.
Sie überwindet ihre Prüfungsangst mit Atemübungen.
She overcomes her exam anxiety with breathing exercises.
The past participle is 'überwunden' (overcome), without the prefix 'ge-'. Since the verb is inseparable, no 'ge-' is added. The form 'geüberwunden' is incorrect.
Er hat seine anfängliche Schüchternheit schnell überwunden.
He quickly overcame his initial shyness.
In its main meaning, 'überwinden' is usually used with abstract, negative concepts as the object. Typical examples are: 'eine Angst überwinden' (to overcome a fear), 'eine Krankheit überwinden' (to overcome an illness), 'eine Krise überwinden' (to overcome a crisis), or 'ein Hindernis überwinden' (to overcome an obstacle).
Gemeinsam haben sie die wirtschaftlichen Schwierigkeiten überwunden.
Together they overcame the economic difficulties.
The reflexive form 'sich überwinden' means to force oneself to do something. It is often followed by an infinitive construction with 'zu' that describes what one does.
Er konnte sich nicht überwinden, die Spinne anzufassen.
He couldn't force himself to touch the spider.
to break
Both words can express that a person’s resistance is successfully ended. „Brechen“ emphasizes more strongly that the will or resistance is destroyed, while „überwinden“ highlights successfully overcoming the difficulty. „Brechen“ is suitable for broken resistance, while „überwinden“ is used for a challenge that has been overcome.
Mit Geduld konnte die Ärztin seine Angst vor der Behandlung überwinden.
With patience, the doctor was able to overcome his fear of the treatment.
Die lange Gefangenschaft konnte schließlich seinen Widerstand brechen.
The long imprisonment was eventually able to break his resistance.
