ziehest

Ziehest is a historical or archaic German verb form representing the second-person singular present indicative of ziehen, the verb meaning to pull or to draw. In modern standard German, the corresponding form is du ziehst. The form ziehest appears primarily in older texts, religious writings, or poetic registers and is less common in contemporary usage except as a stylistic choice. Grammatically, ziehest follows the older du- conjugation pattern that used the -est ending.

Historical background: The -est ending was characteristic of the du form in Early New High German and other dialects; it coexisted with the modern du ziehst. Usage declined over the 17th and 18th centuries as the modern standardization of German consolidated -st as the second-person singular ending. The archaic form can be found in renditions of classical literature and in intentional archaisms.

Usage and stylistic notes: In present-day German, ziehest may appear in translated or recreated historical texts, in neoclassical poetry, or in prose that seeks a historical tone. It is rarely used in everyday speech or standard writing, where du ziehst is the norm.

See also: ziehen; German conjugation; archaic forms of German verbs.