trekke ("to pull, to draw") is one of those everyday strong verbs that quietly powers a whole family of expressions. On its own it means physically pulling something — a rope, a curtain, a tooth — but it is also the verb you use for drawing a card, drawing a breath, withdrawing from a contest, and a dozen other idioms. It belongs to the same i–a–u ablaut family as drikke and finne, and it is the base of the very common verb foretrekke ("to prefer"), so learning trekke cleanly pays off twice.
Conjugation
Class: strong, ablaut i–a–u. Auxiliary: ha.
| Tense / mood | Norwegian | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitiv | å trekke | to pull / draw |
| Presens | trekker | pull(s), draw(s) |
| Preteritum | trakk | pulled, drew |
| Perfektum | har trukket | have/has pulled |
| Pluskvamperfektum | hadde trukket | had pulled |
| Futurum | skal/vil trekke | will pull |
| Imperativ | trekk! | pull! |
| Presens partisipp | trekkende | pulling (adjective) |
| Passiv (infinitiv) | å trekkes | to be pulled |
The ablaut and its forms
trekke runs the classic three vowels i → a → u:
- i: trekke, trekker
- a: trakk
- u: trukket
This is the same template as drikke/drakk/drukket and finne/fant/funnet, so if those are already drilled, trekke slots straight in. There is no neat English cognate to lean on here — trekke is related to the old root behind English "trek" and "track," but "trek" in English is a regular weak verb (trek/trekked), so it gives you no help with the vowels. You simply learn trakk and trukket as the fixed past forms.
Han trekker alltid for gardinene før han legger seg.
He always draws the curtains before he goes to bed.
Hesten trakk lasset opp den bratte bakken.
The horse pulled the load up the steep hill.
Tannlegen har trukket den dårlige tanna.
The dentist has pulled the bad tooth.
trekke seg — to withdraw
Add the reflexive seg and trekke means "to withdraw, pull out, back out." This is the verb for withdrawing from a competition, a contract, or a deal, and also for physically retreating.
To av kandidatene trakk seg rett før valget.
Two of the candidates withdrew right before the election.
Jeg har trukket meg fra prosjektet — det ble for mye.
I've pulled out of the project — it got to be too much.
A close relative is trekke seg tilbake ("to retreat, to retire from public life"), used both literally (an army retreating) and figuratively (a politician stepping back).
Soldatene måtte trekke seg tilbake da forsterkningene uteble.
The soldiers had to retreat when the reinforcements failed to arrive.
Idioms and particle verbs with trekke
trekke anchors a cluster of fixed expressions you should learn whole:
- trekke pusten — to take a breath, draw breath. Trekk pusten dypt = "Take a deep breath."
- trekke fra / trekke for — to open / to close curtains. Trekke fra opens them (pulls them away), trekke for closes them (pulls them across).
- trekke fra (in arithmetic) — to subtract. Trekk fra ti = "Subtract ten."
- trekke opp — to wind up (a clock), or to pull/draw up. Trekke opp klokka = "Wind the clock."
- trekke på skuldrene — to shrug (literally "pull on the shoulders").
- trekke i tvil — to call into question, to doubt.
Trekk pusten dypt og tell til ti.
Take a deep breath and count to ten.
Hun trakk på skuldrene og gikk videre.
She shrugged and walked on.
Vi har trukket fra alle utgiftene, og det går akkurat i null.
We've subtracted all the expenses, and it comes out exactly even.
One more high-frequency use: tea, coffee or an infusion is said to trekke — "to steep, to brew." La teen trekke i tre minutter = "Let the tea steep for three minutes." And weather: det trekker means "there's a draught" (cold air pulling through a room).
La teen trekke litt til — den er for svak ennå.
Let the tea steep a bit longer — it's still too weak.
Common Mistakes
❌ Han trekket en tann i går.
Incorrect — trekke is strong; the preterite is trakk, not trekket
✅ Han trakk en tann i går.
He pulled a tooth yesterday.
❌ Jeg har trakk meg fra konkurransen.
Incorrect — trakk is the preterite; after har use the supine trukket
✅ Jeg har trukket meg fra konkurransen.
I've withdrawn from the competition.
❌ Trekk for gardinene, jeg vil ha lys inn.
Incorrect — 'trekke for' closes the curtains; to open them use 'trekke fra'
✅ Trekk fra gardinene, jeg vil ha lys inn.
Open the curtains, I want some light in.
❌ Ta pusten dypt.
Incorrect — the fixed idiom is 'trekke pusten', not 'ta pusten'
✅ Trekk pusten dypt.
Take a deep breath.
Key Takeaways
- trekke / trekker / trakk / har trukket / trekk! — strong, i–a–u, like drikke and finne.
- Spelling: both past forms keep the double k — trakk vs trukket; only the vowel differs.
- trekke seg = to withdraw / back out; trekke seg tilbake = to retreat / retire.
- Learn the idioms whole: trekke pusten, trekke fra/for (open/close curtains), trekke fra (subtract), trekke på skuldrene (shrug).
- trekke is the base of foretrekke ("to prefer"), which inherits the same strong forms: foretrakk / har foretrukket.
Now practice Norwegian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- The Strong Verb Ablaut ClassesB1 — The ablaut (vowel-change) classes of Norwegian strong verbs grouped by pattern — i–a–u, i–e–e, y/ju–ø–ø, a–o–å, e–a–e — each mapped onto its English cognate class so you can often guess the forms.
- Strong Verbs: Ablaut and the Vowel-Change ClassesA2 — Strong verbs build the past by changing the stem vowel instead of adding an ending (drikke → drakk → drukket) — the main ablaut series, grouped, with full tables and English cognate hooks.
- Verb Reference: How to Use These TablesA2 — How to read the Norwegian verb-reference pages — the five principal parts, weak vs strong classes, and the supine (the har-form).
- foretrekke (to prefer)B2 — Full conjugation of the strong verb foretrekke (foretrekke / foretrekker / foretrakk / har foretrukket), built on trekke, plus the construction foretrekke X framfor Y 'to prefer X to/over Y'.