persuadir
/peɾswaˈdiɾ/
To persuade in Spanish is persuadir.
The verb persuadir is used to convey the idea of successfully persuading someone to agree to a specific action or verb.
Meaning: to successfully convince (someone) to agree to (verb)
Which one should you use?
While persuadir and convencer are often used as synonyms, they have a subtle distinction: persuadir specifically emphasizes moving someone to take an action, whereas convencer often focuses on changing a person's belief or opinion.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are persuading a person, you must use the preposition a before the object, which is known as the personal a. For example, you would say persuadir a su padre. Additionally, when using direct object pronouns like lo (him) or la (her), these are attached directly to the end of the infinitive, resulting in forms such as persuadirlo or persuadirla.
How do you pronounce it?
/peɾswaˈdiɾ/
Did you know?
- While persuadir is correct, in many casual settings, a Spanish speaker might use the phrase dar la lata to describe the annoying process of constantly persuading or pestering someone.
- The Latin root of persuadir, 'persuadēre', contains the element 'suadēre', which means 'to urge' or 'to advise'. This suggests the core of the word is not just about changing a mind, but about the act of sweet-talking or advising someone.
- In Spanish legal contexts, the word inducir is often used instead of persuadir because it implies a stronger sense of manipulation or leading someone toward a specific act.
Examples in context
- No trataré de persuadirte.I won't try to persuade you.This sentence shows how to use the infinitive persuadir.Tatoeba #7115730 by Schuager, translation #3911096 by CK
- Ella trató de persuadir a su padre.She attempted to persuade her father.This sentence demonstrates using the verb with a person as the object.Tatoeba #1540132 by marcelostockle, translation #316819 by CK
- No tiene caso que intentes persuadirlo.It is no use your trying to persuade him.This sentence shows the use of the attached pronoun with persuadir.Tatoeba #1737529 by marcelostockle, translation #17747 by Zifre
- Traté de convencerlo de que asistiera a la reuniónI tried to persuade him to attend the meeting
- La presentación indujo al público a tomar medidasThe presentation persuaded the audience to take action
- Traté de inducir al comité a aprobar mi propuestaI tried to persuade the committee to approve my proposal
- Me gustaría persuadirlo de que reconsidere su posturaI would like to persuade you to reconsider your stance
- Estoy tratando de convencer a Carlos para que venga a la fiestaI'm trying to persuade Carlos to come to the party
- Traté de convencerlo de que el concierto iba a ser increíbleI tried to persuade him that the concert was going to be amazing
- Logré persuadir a mis padres de que me dejaran ir al viajeI managed to persuade my parents to let me go on the trip
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are talking about a friend's career choice.
- Alejandro¿Lograste persuadir a tu hermano de estudiar medicina?Did you manage to persuade your brother to study medicine?
- LucíaNo, no pude persuadirlo de que cambiara de opinión.No, I couldn't persuade him to change his mind.
- AlejandroEs muy difícil persuadir a alguien tan decidido.It is very difficult to persuade someone so determined.
- LucíaTienes razón, es casi imposible.You are right, it is almost impossible.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “persuade” translations and entries persuadir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries persuadir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
