überreden, überzeugen, bekehren

überreden, überzeugen, bekehren seem to have somewhat similar meanings - Persuade, convince, convert. I wonder if Lucia could help with when to use them.

Hi sfpugh,

Überreden means to convince, to persuade:
Mein Vater hat mich überredet, ein neues Auto zu kaufen.
My dad convinced me to buy a new auto.

Überzeugen is still used to translate to convince, but it can be used as a reflexive verb as well:
Ich habe mich davon überzeugt, dass es nicht möglich ist.
I convinced myself that it is not possible.

Bekehren is mainly used to translate to convert, as in...
Sie hat sich zum christlichen Glauben bekehrt.
She converted to Christian faith.

but it can also be used to translate to convince/persuade when the process is related to a statement or way of life:
Sie hat ihn zu einer fettarmen Ernährung bekehrt.
She persuaded him / converted him to a low-fat diet.

Hope this helps!

Lucia

Thank you Lucia, I notice that bekehren was used in the latter sense when it appear in the course.

In English there is a subtle difference between persuade and convince , I wonder if that exists in German between uberreden and uberzeugen?

After a little research I hope I have it.
reden- to talk
zeugen- to testify
überreden means to persuade in the sense of talking someone round.
überzeugen means to convince by presenting evidence for you point of view and also giving the adjective überzeugend meaning convincing or compelling.
How did I do Lucia?

Hi sfpugh,

Basically, that's right! Überreden has more to do with having someone take a decision, prompting them to do something. Überzeugen, however, is more about changing another person's view on something through evidence and objective reasoning.

Lucia

Thanks for the explanation Lucia