to yank / to strain
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to yank
To pull something or someone with great force and often jerkily or roughly.
Das Kind zerrte ungeduldig am Ärmel seiner Mutter, weil es weitergehen wollte.
The child impatiently yanked at his mother's sleeve because he wanted to keep going.
to strain something
To be a strong psychological burden on something or to put great strain on something, for example the nerves.
Die ständige Unsicherheit und der Lärm zerren an meinen Nerven.
The constant uncertainty and noise are straining my nerves.
The prefix 'zer-' is inseparable and often indicates a forceful, sometimes destructive action. Here it intensifies the idea of pulling into a rough, violent act.
Er zerrte das schwere Paket die Treppe hinauf.
He yanked the heavy package up the stairs.
You can either say 'etwas (Akkusativ) zerren' (to yank something; accusative) to move it, or 'an etwas (Dativ) zerren' (to yank at something; dative) to pull on a part of something. Pay attention to the different cases.
Die Polizei zerrte den Demonstranten von der Straße.
The police yanked the protester off the street.
In the figurative meaning, 'zerren' (to strain) is almost always used in the fixed expression 'an den Nerven zerren' (to strain someone's nerves). It describes a situation that is very mentally exhausting.
Der ständige Baulärm von nebenan zerrt an meinen Nerven.
The constant construction noise from next door is straining my nerves.
to lug / to drag
Schleppen and zerren both describe pulling with considerable force. Schleppen mainly emphasizes the weight and effort involved in transporting something. Zerren refers to especially forceful, often jerky or rough pulling.
Paul zerrt die verklemmte Kiste mit einem kräftigen Ruck über den Boden.
Paul yanks the jammed crate across the floor with a powerful jerk.
Paul schleppt die schwere Kiste langsam über den Boden.
Paul slowly drags the heavy crate across the floor.
