Which English verb means stärken, fördern, bevollmächtigen?

• A. to empower
• B. to discourage
• C. to disable
• D. to excommunicate

Answer: (A)

Stärken, fördern, bevollmächtigen all involve giving someone more power, ability, or permission to act. The English verb that best covers these nuances is empower. To empower someone is to grant them power or authority to do something, which aligns with bevollmächtigen; it also conveys increasing their capacity or confidence, matching stärken, and it signals support or promotion of someone’s ability to act, matching fördern. For example: “The leader empowers his team by delegating real authority” shows granting power; “The program empowers underrepresented students by providing resources” shows support; “The policy empowers workers to make decisions” shows enabling action. The other options don’t fit because they express the opposite (discourage), remove capability (disable), or are unrelated to giving power or promoting ability (excommunicate).