overbevise

Overbevise is a Norwegian verb meaning to persuade or convince someone of something, typically by presenting arguments, evidence, or reasoning. The prefix over- combined with bevise (to prove) conveys a sense of convincing through reasoning rather than force. The term is cognate with Danish overbevise and is related to Swedish övertyga, all generally translating to persuade or convince.

Usage and construction: Overbevise is a transitive verb. Common constructions include å overbevise noen om noe (to persuade someone of something), å overbevise noen om at ... (to persuade someone that...), and å overbevise noen til å gjøre noe (to persuade someone to do something). It can take various subjects, and the content clause may follow with om or at, depending on the construction.

Conjugation: present tense is jeg/du/han/hun/vi/ dere overbeviser; past tense is overbeviste; past participle is overbevist, used with auxiliary har or hadde to form perfect or pluperfect: har overbevist, hadde overbevist.

Examples: «Fakta og logikk overbeviste ham om sannheten.»; «Læreren prøvde å overbevise elevene om viktigheten av å møte frister.» In contexts where the persuasion relies more on emotion or rhetoric rather than proof, one might prefer overtale as a closer or more sales-oriented equivalent.

Nuance: Overbevise emphasizes demonstrating or proving a point to change belief or attitude, whereas overtale leans more toward rhetorical push or incentive. Related terms include overbevisning (conviction) and bevis (evidence).