povjeriti

Povjeriti is a verb used in Croatian, Bosnian and Serbian to express entrusting someone with something or confiding in someone. The core sense is to place trust or responsibility in another person, or to reveal something private to someone.

Etymology and related forms: povjeriti derives from the verb vjeriti (to believe) with the prefix po-, and is closely linked to the noun povjerenje, meaning trust or confidence. Related adjectives include povjerljiv (confidential, trustworthy) and the noun povjerljivost (confidentiality). The imperfective counterpart of povjeriti is povjeravati, used for repeated or ongoing entrusting or confiding actions. The reflexive form povjeriti se is commonly used to mean “to confide in someone.”

Usage: povjeriti is transitive and typically followed by a direct object indicating what is being entrusted (povjeriti nekomu nešto) or used with se to indicate confiding in someone (povjeriti se nekomu). Examples: “Povjerio sam mu svoj plan.” “Nemoj mu povjeriti tajne.” “Povjerila se svom najboljom prijateljici.” The phrase “povjeriti se” emphasizes the disclosure of personal or private matters.

Notes: The term is common in both formal and informal contexts, including work, politics, and everyday life. In legal or organizational language, it can describe assigning tasks or responsibilities to someone, as in “povjeriti zadatak suradniku.” A related concept is povjerenje, which denotes trust as a stable quality or relationship.

See also: povjerenje, povjerljiv, povjerljivost, povjeravati.