English Translation
Move to the left, please.
Would gehen Sie bitte nach links also be correct? Or what would be the difference between this and the accepted rücken Sie bitte nach links?
I guess the difference would be the same as between english “move” and “go”.
“rücken” is used in the sense of “adjusting the position a little”. In this case it sounds to me like it’s a request to someone who is sitting on a bench to “move over a little” and make some space for the speaker to sit.
It’s most often used like in this case for people who are sitting, or for example with furniture that you move around in the room. Literally it comes from “der Ruck” - “the jerk”, as the movement needs to be with a jerk because the furniture is heavy. In the case of a sitting person you could think of it as jerking your behind a few inches. It’s not a very formal usage after all.
You wouldn’t use “gehen” for a sitting person, just as you wouldn’t in english (at least I don’t think).
For a standing person “gehen” works, and “rücken” is less appropriate, although not impossible.
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