ziehen
/ˈt͡siːən/
The English verb pull translates to the German verb ziehen.
ziehen is a transitive verb used to describe applying force to something so that it moves towards you. In an informal context, the phrase Zieh … heran is used to mean pulling something closer or pulling something in or inside.
Meaning: transitive: apply force to (something) so it comes towards one (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The third-person singular present form of ziehen is zieht. The simple past (Präteritum) form is zog, and the past participle is gezogen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtsiːən/
Did you know?
- In the context of living arrangements, umziehen means 'to move house', but it also literally means 'to change one's clothes'.
- The German word ziehen shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'tie'.
- In German, the verb ziehen can be used to describe the movement of a crowd or a stream of people 'pulling' through a street.
Examples in context
- Ziehen Sie mich hoch!Pull me up.Tatoeba #2658788 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2249831 by CK
- Bitte ziehen Sie am Seil.Please pull the rope.Tatoeba #12627290 by mayabe, translation #1451673 by CK
- Du musst ziehen, um die Tür zu öffnen.You need to pull that door to open it.Tatoeba #9000490 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #8997073 by CK
- Können Sie bitte den Hebel ziehen?Could you please pull the lever?
- Bitte holen Sie das Dokument aus der Mappe heraus.Please pull the document out of the folder
- Kannst du die Tür bitte zuziehen?Can you pull the door closed?
- Zieh den Stuhl näher heran.Pull the chair closer
- Zieh am Seil, um die Glocke zu läuten.Pull the rope to ring the bell.
- Zerre nicht an der Tür, zieh sie einfach vorsichtig auf.Don't yank the door, just gently pull it open.
- Schnell zog er die Kinder ins Haus, bevor es anfing zu regnen.He quickly pulled the kids inside the house before the rain started.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Julian are trying to open a stuck drawer in a kitchen.
- SarahJulian, kannst du bitte an der Schublade ziehen?Julian, can you please pull on the drawer?
- JulianIch versuche es, aber ich kann nicht richtig ziehen.I'm trying, but I can't pull it properly.
- SarahVielleicht müssen wir beide gleichzeitig ziehen.Maybe we both have to pull at the same time.
- JulianGute Idee, auf drei: eins, zwei, drei!Good idea, on three: one, two, three!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pull” translations and entries ziehen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ziehen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
