German word

anvertrauen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈanfɛɐ̯ˌtʁaʊ̯ən/

Meaning

  • verbconfide

Example

Ich vertraue ihr mein Geheimnis an.

I am confiding my secret in her.

Illustration for anvertrauen (confide)

More examples

Sie möchte ihm ihre Sorgen anvertrauen.

She wants to confide her worries to him.

Core concept

A secret or responsibility passes into a trusted person's care, where it is kept or handled responsibly.

Common phrases

  • seine Sorgen jemandem anvertrauen

    confide one's worries to someone

  • einem Kollegen etwas anvertrauen

    confide something to a colleague

  • einem Freund ein Geheimnis anvertrauen

    confide a secret to a friend

Similar words

vertrauen: Confidence in someone's honesty or ability to act reliably.
überlassen: Giving someone responsibility for possessions or duties to manage.
übergeben: Passing an object or document directly into someone's hands.
mitteilen: Communicating thoughts, facts, or other information to someone.

Definition in German

jemandem persönlich etwas anvertrauen bedeutet, eine vertrauliche Information oder Sache mitzuteilen und deren Verwahrung oder Verantwortung zu übertragen

Word origin

Anvertrauen combines the separable prefix an- with vertrauen, from Middle High German vertruwen, extending trust to placing something in someone's care.

Usage tips

  • The recipient takes dative case and the entrusted item takes accusative case, as in jemandem ein Geheimnis anvertrauen.

Other meanings

  • entrustverb
  • put in the care of ___verb
  • leave to ___verb

Opposites

Related words

  • vertrauenswürdigtrustworthyadjective
  • Vertrauenspersontrusted personnoun
  • anvertrautentrustedadjective

Word lists with this word