an meinen Haaren ziehen
The English phrase "pull my hair" is translated into German as an meinen Haaren ziehen.
This phrase is used to describe the physical action of grasping and tugging on the hair of one's head.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase an meinen Haaren ziehen uses the preposition an followed by the dative plural meinen Haaren to indicate the object being pulled. While an meinen Haaren ziehen specifically uses the possessive pronoun for "my", it is often more common in German to use the definite article to say an den Haaren ziehen (to pull on the hair), even when referring to one's own hair.
Did you know?
- The verb ziehen can mean 'to pull', but it is also the word Germans use for 'to move' house or 'to migrate'.
- While an meinen Haaren ziehen describes a physical act, the related German idiom sich die Haare raufen means to be distraught or frustrated.
- The German word meinen is also related to the English word 'moan'. They share a common ancestry rooted in the concept of lamenting or expressing thought through sound.
Examples in context
- Könntest du bitte an meinen Haaren ziehen?Could you please pull my hair?
- Könntest du bitte vorsichtig an meinen Haaren ziehen?Could you please pull my hair gently?
- Hör auf, an meinen Haaren zu ziehen!Stop pulling my hair!
- Das Kind wollte an meinen Haaren ziehen.The child wanted to pull on my hair.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries an, haaren, meinen, ziehen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
