Learn Dutch: Niet tegen de deur duwen. - Do not push against the door.

Using the bare infinitive (the full dictionary form of the verb) is the standard way to give public instructions or warnings in Dutch. While duw niet is a direct command to a specific person, niet ... duwen is an impersonal, general rule for anyone reading the sign.

Why is niet at the very beginning of the sentence?

In these short public instructions, the verb always goes at the very end (duwen). If the instruction is negative ('do not'), niet goes right at the start to immediately warn people, followed by the details (tegen de deur), and finally the verb.

Do I always need to use tegen (against) with duwen?

When you are pushing a physical object like a door, a wall, or a person, Dutch typically uses tegen to describe applying force against the surface. While English often just says 'push the door', leaving out tegen in Dutch would sound unnatural here.

Could I use drukken instead of duwen for pushing a door?

Generally, no. Duwen is used for pushing with your hands or body to move something heavy, like a door or a shopping cart. Drukken means to press, which you use for smaller actions like pressing a doorbell (op de bel drukken) or a button.