ziehen
to pull
To move something toward oneself or along behind oneself by applying force.
EXAMPLE
Das Kind zieht sein Spielzeugauto an einer Schnur hinter sich her.
The child pulls his toy car behind him on a string.
ziehen
to pull / move
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Meanings
ziehen
to move
To change one's place of residence; to move to another apartment, city, or country.
EXAMPLE
Nächstes Jahr ziehen wir von der Stadt aufs Land.
Next year we're moving from the city to the countryside.
ziehen
to migrate
To move as a group in a particular direction, especially in the case of birds or nomads.
EXAMPLE
Im Herbst ziehen die Störche in den warmen Süden.
In autumn, the storks migrate to the warm south.
ziehen
to draw
To take something from a set or container, often randomly. It frequently refers to cards, lots, or numbers.
EXAMPLE
Bei der Tombola zog sie das große Los.
At the raffle, she drew the winning ticket.
ziehen
to steep
To leave a drink, usually tea or coffee, in hot water for a certain amount of time so that it releases flavor and active substances.
EXAMPLE
Lass den grünen Tee nicht länger als drei Minuten ziehen, sonst wird er bitter.
Don't let the green tea steep for more than three minutes, otherwise it will become bitter.
ziehen
to draw
To create a line or boundary on a surface.
EXAMPLE
Mit dem Lineal zog er einen geraden Strich auf dem Papier.
With the ruler, he drew a straight line on the paper.
sich ziehen
to drag on
To extend over a long time or a long distance; to continue for a long time.
EXAMPLE
Die Reparaturarbeiten an der Brücke zogen sich über mehrere Monate hin.
The repair work on the bridge dragged on for several months.
einen Schluss ziehen
to draw a conclusion
To derive a logical conclusion from existing information or observations.
EXAMPLE
Aus den vorliegenden Daten können wir den Schluss ziehen, dass die Kampagne erfolgreich war.
From the available data, we can draw the conclusion that the campaign was successful.
in Betracht ziehen
to consider
To think about or consider a possibility or option.
EXAMPLE
Wir sollten auch die Möglichkeit in Betracht ziehen, das Projekt zu verschieben.
We should also consider the possibility of postponing the project.
Usage tips
Auxiliary verb 'sein'
When 'ziehen' describes movement from one place to another (e.g. moving house, birds migrating), the perfect tense is formed with 'sein'. In most other meanings (e.g. pulling something, drawing a card), 'haben' is used.
EXAMPLE
Meine Nachbarn sind letzten Monat nach Berlin gezogen.
My neighbors moved to Berlin last month.
Use with 'an'
When you pull on a part of something, you use the preposition 'an' with the dative. Typical examples are pulling on a rope, a handle, or a door.
EXAMPLE
Du musst kräftig an dem Seil ziehen, um das Tor zu öffnen.
You have to pull hard on the rope to open the gate.
Prepositions when moving
When talking about moving house, the destination is given with prepositions such as 'in' (+ accusative), 'nach' (for cities/countries without an article), or 'aufs' (for 'auf das Land'—to the countryside).
EXAMPLE
Sie möchte nächstes Jahr in eine größere Wohnung ziehen.
She wants to move into a larger apartment next year.
Typical collocations
In the meaning 'etwas zufällig auswählen' (to select something randomly), 'ziehen' is often combined with objects such as 'eine Karte' (a card), 'ein Los' (a raffle ticket/lot), or 'eine Nummer' (a number).
EXAMPLE
Jeder Teilnehmer darf eine Nummer aus dem Hut ziehen.
Each participant may draw a number from the hat.
Use without an object
When a drink such as tea develops its aroma, 'ziehen' is used without an object. The drink itself is the subject of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Der Tee muss fünf Minuten ziehen, bevor du ihn trinkst.
The tea needs to steep for five minutes before you drink it.
Typical objects
When drawing something on a surface, 'ziehen' is often used with objects such as 'eine Linie' (a line), 'einen Strich' (a stroke/line), 'einen Kreis' (a circle), or 'eine Grenze' (a boundary).
EXAMPLE
Er zog mit einem Bleistift eine gerade Linie.
He drew a straight line with a pencil.
Reflexive use
The reflexive form 'sich ziehen' or 'sich hinziehen' means that something takes a very long time. It is often used for processes, negotiations, or construction work.
EXAMPLE
Die Besprechung zog sich bis in den späten Abend.
The meeting dragged on until late in the evening.
Fixed expression
The expression 'einen Schluss ziehen' means to draw a logical conclusion. You can also use other abstract nouns, e.g. 'eine Konsequenz ziehen' (to draw a consequence) or 'eine Lehre ziehen' (to learn a lesson).
EXAMPLE
Aus diesem Fehler müssen wir eine Lehre für die Zukunft ziehen.
We have to learn a lesson from this mistake for the future.
Fixed expression
The expression 'in Betracht ziehen' is a fixed combination and means 'überlegen' (to think about) or 'erwägen' (to consider). The noun 'Betracht' is used almost only in this expression.
EXAMPLE
Ich werde Ihr Angebot ernsthaft in Betracht ziehen.
I will seriously consider your offer.
Compare with
nehmenzeichnenwandernverlaufenumziehendurchziehenwehensaugenmarschierenschleppenlüftenandauernabschleppenauslosengroßziehen
ziehen vs nehmen
to take
Nehmen generally means taking a card from the deck. For cards, ziehen is the usual word for a random selection or a move according to the rules of a game. In a game, ziehen is therefore usually the better choice; for simply taking a card, nehmen also works.
ziehen
Ich ziehe die oberste Karte vom Stapel, weil ich an der Reihe bin.
I draw the top card from the deck because it is my turn.
nehmen
Ich nehme die oberste Karte vom Stapel, um das Bild zu prüfen.
I take the top card from the deck to check the picture.
In real life
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