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nach etwas streben ― to strive for/after something
nach etwas suchen ― to search for something
Usage notes
(to, towards): The directional preposition nach is now used chiefly with geographical names that do not have an article with them: nach Ägypten, nach Hamburg, etc. Only in elevated, literary style are there remnants of a freer use of nach:
nach dem Irak (“to Iraq”) — for which usually: in den Irak
nach dem Schloss (“to the castle”) — for which usually: zum Schloss.
At times, this use of nach conveys the implication that the destination is not reached. Thus: Er fuhr zum Schloss. – “He travelled to the castle .” But: Er fuhr nach dem Schloss. – “He travelled towards the castle .”
Directional nach with personal names (or names of shops etc.) is found in the regional vernaculars of north-western Germany: nach Peter (“to Peter's house”). This is nonstandard usage.
(like): There may be a slight semantic distinction between the use of nach and wie after a verb of sensual perception. The following phrases both translate to English as “This feels like silk”, but compare the different implications: Das fühlt sich nach Seide an. (“This feels like silk, and it probably is.”) Das fühlt sich an wie Seide. (“This feels like silk, although it’s probably something else.”) This distinction is not a strict one, however.
c.800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 23b12
it essamnu de ar ro·fitetar is ar nach n-indocbáil móir fo·daimim-se inso
i.e. they are the more fearless, for they know that it is for some great glory that I endure this
c.800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 51a18
In tan imme·romastar són nach noíb, ara cuintea dílgud Dé isind aimsir sin.
That is, when any saint sins, that he may seek the forgiveness of God at that time.
L indicates a form that triggers lenition, N a form that triggers nasalization (eclipsis), and H a form that triggers /h/-prothesis. The plural forms shown occur only in negative clauses. In positive clauses, the plural is supplied by alaili, araili.