to raise / to grow
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to raise
To raise a child or a young animal, meaning to provide for it, educate it, and care for it until it is grown and independent.
Sie hat ihre beiden Söhne nach dem Tod ihres Mannes alleine großgezogen.
She raised her two sons by herself after her husband's death.
to grow
To cultivate, care for, and grow a plant from a seed or seedling.
Auf dem Balkon zieht sie ihre eigenen Kräuter und Tomaten groß.
She grows her own herbs and tomatoes on the balcony.
'Großziehen' (to raise / to grow) is a separable verb. The prefix 'groß' goes at the end of the main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Meine Großmutter zog fünf Kinder groß.
My grandmother raised five children.
The verb combines 'groß' (big/grown) and 'ziehen' (to pull/raise). The figurative idea is that you 'ziehen' (care for and look after) someone or something until the person or plant is 'groß' (grown).
Er hat den verletzten Vogel gefunden und ihn gesund gepflegt und großgezogen.
He found the injured bird and nursed it back to health and raised it.
You can tell which meaning is intended from the object: If it refers to people or animals, it is about raising and upbringing. If it refers to plants, it is about cultivation.
Die Löwin zieht ihre Jungen in der Savanne groß.
The lioness raises her cubs in the savanna.
When referring to people, 'großziehen' (to raise) is often combined with adverbs or phrases such as 'alleine' (alone), 'liebevoll' (lovingly), or 'unter schwierigen Bedingungen' (under difficult conditions).
Sie hat ihre Enkelin nach dem Tod der Eltern großgezogen.
She raised her granddaughter after the parents' death.
to pull / move
When cultivating a plant, „ziehen“ and „großziehen“ can have similar meanings. „Ziehen“ emphasizes starting a plant or letting it grow, whereas „großziehen“ emphasizes the longer process of caring for it until it becomes a developed plant. „Großziehen“ is therefore more suitable for complete care over an extended period.
Im Garten ziehen wir die Tomatenpflanzen den ganzen Sommer über groß.
In the garden, we grow the tomato plants to maturity throughout the summer.
Auf der Fensterbank ziehen wir Tomaten aus kleinen Samen.
We grow tomatoes from small seeds on the windowsill.
