überreden

Überreden is a German verb meaning to persuade someone to do something, typically through conversation that appeals to feelings, social pressure, or coercive elements rather than purely factual argument. It is used when a person who initially resists is talked into a course of action.

The term combines über- (over, excessively) with reden (to talk). It often carries a somewhat negative or forceful connotation, suggesting that the persuasiveness may border on pressure or manipulation. This distinguishes it from überzeugen, which emphasizes convincing through rational argument. Common collocations include jemanden zu etwas überreden (to persuade someone to do something) and jemanden, etwas zu tun, überreden (to persuade someone to do something).

Grammatically, überreden is a transitive verb and typically takes the auxiliary haben in the perfect tense: Er hat mich überredet. In the present tense: Sie überredet ihn. The constructionjemanden zu etwas überreden is standard, as in Sie überredete ihn, das Angebot anzunehmen. A related expression is sich nicht überreden lassen or sich schwer überreden lassen (to be hard to persuade).

See also: überreden vs. überzeugen (to persuade vs. convince), ausreden (to talk someone out of something). Usage hinges on tone and intention: überreden often implies some degree of pressure or emotional appeal, whereas überzeugen stresses evidence-based persuasion.