persuadir
verbCEFR B2
What does “persuadir” mean in English?
to persuade
to persuade (persuadir a alguien de que + subjunctive / de + inf — formal alternative to convencer)
Example sentences
No fue fácil persuadir al consejo de administración de que el proyecto valía la pena invertir en él.
It was not easy to persuade the board of directors that the project was worth investing in.
Los datos del estudio fueron suficientemente contundentes para persuadir incluso a los escépticos más recalcitrantes.
The study's findings were compelling enough to persuade even the most stubborn sceptics.
Consiguieron persuadirle de abandonar la estrategia original y optar por un enfoque más flexible.
They managed to persuade him to abandon the original strategy and opt for a more flexible approach.
How to use it
Persuadir means 'to persuade' and is the higher-register alternative to convencer. Key structural difference: persuadir a alguien de + infinitive (same subject implied), persuadir a alguien de que + subjunctive (different subjects), or persuadir a alguien para que + subjunctive (purpose). Register contrast: convencer is neutral and conversational; persuadir implies a more effortful, reasoned, or formal process of influence. In formal writing, persuadir appears in rhetorical and argumentative contexts.
Common mistake
Structure confusion: persuadir takes de + infinitive (same subject) or de que + subjunctive (different subjects) — not *persuadir que + indicative and not *persuadir para + infinitive (though persuadir para que + subjunctive exists, de que is more standard in formal writing). Don't substitute convencer and persuadir interchangeably in formal writing — persuadir implies a more sustained, evidence-based process of influence.