Lubrica la cadena amb el lubricant.

Lubrica is the imperative form used to give a command to tu (informal singular you).

• lubricar = the infinitive, to lubricate
• (tu) lubrica = lubricate!

So the sentence is addressing one person directly in an informal way.

Yes. In Catalan, lubrica can also be the third-person singular present form:

• ell/ella lubrica = he/she lubricates

But in Lubrica la cadena amb el lubricant, the context clearly makes it sound like an instruction or command, so learners will usually read it as the imperative.

It is informal singular.

Catalan has different command forms depending on who you are speaking to:

• (tu) lubrica = informal, one person
• (vostè) lubriqui = formal, one person
• (vosaltres) lubriqueu = informal plural
• (vostès) lubriquin = formal plural

So this sentence is the kind of instruction you might give to a friend, or see in simple step-by-step instructions.

Because cadena is a feminine singular noun, and Catalan usually uses the definite article where English often also does.

• la cadena = the chain

The article must agree with the noun:

• el = masculine singular
• la = feminine singular
• els = masculine plural
• les = feminine plural

Since cadena is feminine singular, it takes la.

Yes. Here lubricant is a masculine singular noun, so it takes el:

• el lubricant = the lubricant

Its grammatical gender is masculine, which is why you get:

• el lubricant
• not la lubricant

As in many Romance languages, grammatical gender is something you often just learn with the noun.

Amb means with.

In this sentence, it introduces the material or means used to do the action:

• Lubrica la cadena amb el lubricant.
• Lubricate the chain with the lubricant.

So amb is the normal preposition here.

Because Catalan often expresses that idea simply with amb.

English may say:

• Lubricate the chain with the lubricant
• Lubricate the chain using the lubricant

Catalan commonly just uses:

• amb el lubricant

That is natural and idiomatic.

The structure is:

• Lubrica = verb
• la cadena = direct object
• amb el lubricant = prepositional phrase

So the pattern is basically:

Verb + object + prepositional phrase

This is very common in instructions and commands in Catalan.

Because Catalan often leaves out subject pronouns when they are understood from the verb form.

Here, lubrica already tells you the sentence is aimed at tu in the imperative, so there is no need to add tu.

Catalan normally avoids unnecessary subject pronouns unless you want emphasis or contrast.

It is grammatically understandable, but usually not the most natural choice.

In commands, Catalan normally leaves out the pronoun:

• Lubrica la cadena amb el lubricant.

Adding tu can sound emphatic, contrastive, or unusual unless there is a special reason to stress who should do it.

A broad approximation is:

ca-DE-na

More specifically in standard Catalan:

• ca like kə or ka, depending on accent/variety
• de with the stress here
• na = nə or na, depending on variety

The stress is on the middle syllable: caDEna.

A broad approximation is:

loo-bree-CANT

The stress is on the last syllable: lubriCANT.

The final -ant is pronounced clearly, unlike English patterns where spelling can sometimes be less predictable.

Very similar. Here lubricant is a noun, meaning the substance used to lubricate something.

Catalan also has the related verb:

• lubricar = to lubricate

So the relationship is similar to English:

• lubricar → verb
• lubricant → noun

Sometimes Catalan can omit the article, but in this sentence amb el lubricant is the most natural choice if you mean a specific lubricant.

• amb el lubricant = with the lubricant, a specific one
• amb lubricant = with lubricant, more general/material-like

If the context is about a particular product or the lubricant already mentioned, el sounds better.

Because both nouns are definite in this sentence.

Catalan uses articles very regularly, and if both nouns are understood as specific, both normally take an article:

• la cadena = the chain
• el lubricant = the lubricant

This is completely normal and does not sound repetitive in Catalan.

Other verbs are possible depending on style and context, but lubrica is perfectly natural.

For example, a speaker might sometimes choose wording based on technical style, region, or the exact type of maintenance instruction. But for a learner, Lubrica la cadena amb el lubricant is straightforward and correct Catalan.

Yes. It sounds like the kind of short, direct sentence used in:

• manuals
• maintenance guides
• labels
• step-by-step instructions

Catalan often uses the imperative in this style, just as English does.