to follow / tighten / trace
Loading your saved state.
to follow
To follow someone to a new place of residence or work after they have already moved there.
Nachdem er den Job in Berlin bekommen hatte, ist seine Familie ein halbes Jahr später nachgezogen.
After he got the job in Berlin, his family followed six months later.
'Nachziehen' (to follow / tighten / trace) is a separable verb. The prefix 'nach-' goes at the end in main clauses; in subordinate clauses the verb stays together, and in the infinitive with 'zu', 'zu' goes in the middle.
Seine Frau zieht nächsten Monat nach.
His wife is following next month.
The verb consists of the prefix 'nach-' (in the sense of 'after' or 'later') and the verb 'ziehen' (to pull). This basic idea of pulling after or following can be found in most of its meanings.
Wenn ein Unternehmen die Preise erhöht, ziehen die anderen oft nach.
When one company raises prices, the others often follow suit.
When 'nachziehen' (to follow) means movement to another place, the perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be). This is a common source of mistakes.
Ihre Kinder sind erst ein Jahr später nachgezogen.
Her children followed only a year later.
The expression 'etwas nach sich ziehen' (to entail something) is fixed. The subject is the cause, and the consequence appears as the accusative object directly before 'nach sich'.
Diese Entscheidung wird ernste Konsequenzen nach sich ziehen.
This decision will entail serious consequences.
In the meaning 'to tighten more firmly', the objects are usually mechanical parts. Typical combinations are 'eine Schraube nachziehen' (to tighten a screw), 'eine Mutter nachziehen' (to tighten a nut), or 'einen Gurt nachziehen' (to tighten a belt/strap).
Der Mechaniker muss die Radmuttern noch nachziehen.
The mechanic still needs to tighten the wheel nuts.
When it comes to drawings or plans, 'nachziehen' (to trace) means to draw a line again in order to make it more visible. Typical objects are 'Linien' (lines), 'Konturen' (contours), or 'eine Zeichnung' (a drawing).
Bitte zieh die Umrisse der Figur mit einem schwarzen Stift nach.
Please trace the outline of the figure with a black pen.
to follow
'folgen' and 'nachziehen' can both express that someone acts after another person or follows an example. 'folgen' is more general: you can follow a person along a path or follow a piece of advice. 'nachziehen' is more specific. It fits when someone moves to the same place later, for example to join family, or when a person or company does the same thing that another did before. So 'nachziehen' emphasizes: someone was there first or did something first, and someone else does it afterward too.
Nach zwei Monaten in Hamburg zieht seine Familie nach.
After two months in Hamburg, his family follows.
Im Wald folgen wir dem kleinen Weg bis zum See.
In the forest, we follow the small path to the lake.