What's the first word that comes to mind when you think of how to say "to pull" in French? For most, it's probably tirer. And you're not wrong! It's a very common translation.

However, just like in English, the simple act of "pulling" can mean many different things. Are you pulling a door, pulling a prank, or pulling yourself together? Each of these situations calls for a different verb in French.

Let's dive into the nuances and discover nine different ways to express the concept of "pulling" in French, so you can speak with more precision and sound more like a native speaker!

1. The standard 'to pull' – tirer

Tirer is the most direct and common French verb for 'to pull'. At its core, it describes the physical action of applying force to move something toward you. It's the word you'll see most often on doors and in everyday instructions.

You use tirer for simple, concrete actions. Think of pulling a door open (Tirez), pulling a drawer, pulling a rope, or pulling the curtains closed. It's the direct opposite of pousser (to push).

This is a critical meaning to learn. Tirer also means 'to shoot' a weapon or 'to fire' a projectile. The context almost always makes this clear. The preposition sur is often used to indicate the target, as in tirer sur quelqu'un (to shoot at someone).

In a completely different context, tirer can mean 'to print' or 'produce copies'. This is common for photographs (tirer des photos), but can also apply to printing documents in large quantities (tirer un livre à 1000 exemplaires - to print 1000 copies of a book).

The meaning of 'pulling' extends to abstract concepts. You can tirer une conclusion (draw a conclusion), tirer les cartes (read tarot cards, literally 'pull the cards'), or tirer profit de (to profit from). These expressions show the verb's versatility.

The reflexive form, se tirer, is a very popular and informal way to say 'to leave', 'to scram', or 'to take off'. It implies leaving a place, sometimes quickly. For example, « Bon, je me tire ! » means 'Alright, I'm outta here!'

💡 * Pour ouvrir, il faut tirer la poignée vers soi.

• Le chasseur a tiré sur un oiseau.
• Quelle leçon peux-tu tirer de cette expérience ?
• Je vais faire tirer les photos de notre mariage.
• Il est tard, on se tire ?

The 'to pull out' or 'to snatch' – arracher

The French verb arracher translates to 'to pull out,' 'to snatch,' or 'to tear away.' It implies a forceful, often sudden, removal of something from its place. This verb is versatile, covering both literal actions, like pulling a tooth, and figurative ones, like extracting a promise.

In its most common literal sense, arracher is used when talking about physically pulling something out with force. A classic example is a dentist pulling out a tooth (arracher une dent). It's also used for actions like pulling weeds from a garden (arracher les mauvaises herbes).

Another literal meaning is 'to snatch' or 'to grab' something from someone's possession, emphasizing the speed and violence of the action. For example, you might say, Le voleur a arraché le sac de la femme (The thief snatched the woman's bag).

Figuratively, arracher can mean to extract something with great difficulty, such as a confession, a smile, or a promise. It suggests that the person was reluctant to give it. For instance, Les journalistes ont réussi à lui arracher une déclaration (The journalists managed to get a statement out of him).

The verb also powerfully conveys a sense of painful separation, as in being 'torn away' from a person, place, or situation. You might hear, Il a été arraché à sa famille pendant la guerre (He was torn from his family during the war).

The reflexive form, s'arracher, commonly means 'to tear oneself away.' In a popular slang context, it means that something is in very high demand—that people are 'fighting over it.' For example: Les billets pour ce concert s'arrachent ! (Tickets for this concert are selling like hotcakes!).

💡 * Le dentiste va m'arracher une dent de sagesse.

• Il a arraché la lettre de ses mains avec colère.
• J'ai eu du mal à l'arracher à son jeu vidéo pour le dîner.
• Cette décision lui a arraché des larmes.
• Les places pour la finale s'arrachent en quelques minutes.

The 'to pull on' something – tirer sur

To express the action of 'pulling on' a specific object in French, you'll often use the verb phrase tirer sur.

This phrase combines the verb tirer (to pull) with the preposition sur (on). The inclusion of sur is critical because it directs the action of pulling onto a specific item or part of something.

It's important to use sur because the verb tirer alone can have many other meanings, including 'to shoot,' 'to print,' or 'to draw' a card. Using tirer sur [quelque chose] clarifies that you are physically pulling on an object.

You can use this phrase in many everyday situations, such as pulling on a leash (tirer sur la laisse), a sleeve (tirer sur la manche), a rope (tirer sur la corde), or a door handle (tirer sur la poignée).

The good news is that tirer is a regular -er verb, which makes it straightforward to conjugate in all tenses. For example, in the present tense: je tire, tu tires, il/elle tire, etc.

💡 * Le chien tire sur sa laisse pendant la promenade. (The dog pulls on its leash during the walk.)

• Il faut tirer sur la poignée pour ouvrir la porte. (You have to pull on the handle to open the door.)
• Ne tire pas sur mon pull, tu vas l'abîmer ! (Don't pull on my sweater, you're going to ruin it!)
• L'enfant tirait sur la nappe et a tout fait tomber. (The child was pulling on the tablecloth and made everything fall.)

1. The 'to tow' a vehicle – remorquer

The French verb for 'to tow' a vehicle is remorquer.

Remorquer refers to the action of pulling one vehicle with another, typically when a car has broken down. It is the direct equivalent of the English verb 'to tow'.

As a regular -er verb, remorquer follows a predictable conjugation pattern, making it straightforward for learners. For example, in the present tense, you would say je remorque, tu remorques, il/elle remorque.

This verb is connected to key nouns you should know: une dépanneuse is a 'tow truck', and une remorque is a 'trailer'. Knowing these terms will help you in roadside situations.

💡 * Ma voiture est en panne, il faut la remorquer jusqu'au garage. (My car has broken down, it needs to be towed to the garage.)

• La dépanneuse a remorqué le véhicule accidenté. (The tow truck towed the damaged vehicle.)
• Est-ce que votre camion peut remorquer cette caravane ? (Can your truck tow this caravan?)
• On remorque le bateau pour le mettre à l'eau. (We are towing the boat to put it in the water.)

The 'to haul' or 'to tow' (often nautical) – haler

Let's explore the specific French verb haler, which describes a forceful type of pulling.

The primary meaning of haler is 'to haul' or 'to tow.' It is most strongly associated with nautical contexts, such as pulling a boat ashore, hauling on a rope, or pulling in a fishing net.

Crucially, haler begins with an h aspiré (aspirated H). This means you do not make a liaison or elision with the word before it. For example, you must say je hale (not j'hale) and le halage (the towing).

While its origins are maritime, haler can be used more generally to describe hauling any heavy object that requires significant physical effort, like dragging heavy furniture or towing a vehicle.

In summary, use haler for the action of 'hauling' or 'towing' with force, especially in a maritime setting, and always remember to treat its initial 'h' as an aspirated H.

💡 * Les marins ont halé le bateau sur la plage. (The sailors hauled the boat onto the beach.)

• Il faut haler sur la corde pour hisser la voile. (You have to haul on the rope to hoist the sail.)
• On a dû haler la voiture hors du fossé. (We had to tow the car out of the ditch.)
• Aide-moi à haler ce sac de sable. (Help me haul this sandbag.)

The 'to attract' or 'to pull towards' – attirer

The French verb attirer is the direct equivalent of 'to attract.' It's a versatile verb used to describe the action of drawing something or someone closer, whether through a physical force like magnetism or a figurative appeal like charisma.

In its most literal sense, attirer describes physical forces. You'll see it used in scientific contexts to talk about gravity, magnets, or even how light attracts insects. For example, La planète attire ses lunes means 'The planet attracts its moons.'

More commonly, attirer is used figuratively. It can mean attracting attention (attirer l'attention), customers (attirer les clients), sympathy (attirer la sympathie), or even romantic interest. It perfectly captures the idea of drawing in people, focus, or opportunities.

A key phrase to learn is the reflexive form, s'attirer. The expression s'attirer des ennuis is extremely common and means 'to get oneself into trouble' or 'to attract problems.' This shows how the verb can be used for negative consequences, like attracting criticism or misfortune.

💡 * La nouvelle boutique attire beaucoup de clients.

• Les contraires s'attirent, comme on dit.
• Son discours a attiré l'attention des médias.
• Fais attention, tu vas t'attirer des ennuis avec ce comportement.

The 'to extract' (like a tooth) – extraire

The French verb for "to extract" is extraire. It functions very similarly to its English counterpart, meaning to remove or take out something, often with effort.

A very common and specific use for this verb is in a medical context, especially at the dentist's office. The phrase extraire une dent directly translates to "to extract a tooth."

Note that extraire is an irregular verb. In the passé composé, it uses the auxiliary verb avoir and its past participle is extrait. For example: Le dentiste a extrait ma dent (The dentist extracted my tooth).

💡 * Le dentiste va m'extraire une dent de sagesse. (The dentist is going to extract my wisdom tooth.)

• On extrait le jus des fruits en les pressant. (Juice is extracted from fruits by pressing them.)
• Il a fallu extraire le survivant des décombres. (It was necessary to extract the survivor from the rubble.)
• J'ai rendez-vous demain pour me faire extraire une dent. (I have an appointment tomorrow to have a tooth extracted.)

The 'to tow' or 'to haul' a trailer – tracter

The verb for 'to tow' or 'to haul' – tracter

The French verb tracter is the direct equivalent of 'to tow' or 'to haul.' It is primarily used in the context of vehicles pulling other vehicles or attachments, like cars, trailers, or caravans.

You'll use tracter when talking about a tow truck rescuing a broken-down car (tracter une voiture), pulling a trailer for a move (tracter une remorque), or hauling a boat to the lake (tracter un bateau).

Fortunately, tracter is a regular -er verb, making its conjugation straightforward. It follows the same pattern as common verbs like parler or aimer. For example, in the present tense: je tracte, tu tractes, il/elle tracte.

💡 * Le camion de dépannage va tracter la voiture en panne.

• Est-ce que ton véhicule est assez puissant pour tracter cette caravane ?
• Nous avons tracté la remorque remplie de meubles jusqu'à notre nouvelle maison.
• Il est interdit de tracter un autre véhicule sur l'autoroute sans autorisation.

1. The Verb for 'To Uncork': Déboucher

The French verb déboucher is the most direct translation for 'to uncork' a bottle, especially a bottle of wine. It's formed from the prefix dé- (meaning 'un-') and the verb boucher ('to block' or 'to cork'). So, its literal meaning is 'to un-cork' or 'to un-stop'.

Beyond bottles, déboucher is extremely common in the sense of 'to unclog' or 'to unblock' anything that is stopped up. This is a very practical and frequent use of the verb, applying to sinks (éviers), drains (canalisations), or even a stuffy nose (un nez bouché).

Figuratively, déboucher can also mean 'to lead to,' 'to open out onto,' or 'to result in.' For instance, a path can déboucher sur a field, or a negotiation can déboucher sur an agreement. It implies an opening or an outcome.

💡 * Peux-tu déboucher la bouteille de vin pour nos invités ? (Can you uncork the bottle of wine for our guests?)

• J'ai dû appeler un plombier pour déboucher l'évier de la cuisine. (I had to call a plumber to unclog the kitchen sink.)
• Cette petite rue débouche sur la place principale. (This little street opens onto the main square.)
• Nos discussions ont finalement débouché sur un compromis. (Our discussions finally resulted in a compromise.)

Are there other ways to say 'to pull' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'to pull' in French?

Our list covers the most common French verbs for 'to pull'. However, French is a rich language with many other terms, including idiomatic expressions, technical jargon, and regional variations that you might encounter.

For more specific contexts, you can search online for phrases like 'comment dire 'to pull a muscle' en français' or 'traduction 'pull a lever' en français' to find the most accurate term.

You might discover some intriguing synonyms for tirer. Remember, context is key, especially with verbs. Always check a word's definition and look for example sentences to understand its proper usage before trying it yourself.

As you immerse yourself in French media—books, movies, and news—pay close attention to action verbs. You'll naturally pick up on the subtle differences and various ways French speakers express the concept of 'pulling' in different situations.

If you want to dive deeper into the nuances of tirer and its related expressions, the WordReference entry for tirer is an excellent resource. It often includes forums where native speakers discuss specific use cases.

I hope you found this article helpful in understanding the many ways to say 'to pull' in French. With verbs, practice is everything. To end, let's remember the famous French proverb: C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. (Practice makes perfect.) Keep pulling at those grammar threads, and you'll master them in no time!