Questions & Answers about Mi metas grason sur la ĉenon.
Why is it metas and not meti?
Because metas is a conjugated verb, while meti is the infinitive.
- meti = to put / to place
- metas = put / am putting / do put
In Esperanto, present-tense verbs always end in -as:
- mi metas = I put / I am putting
- vi metas = you put
- li metas = he puts
So Mi metas... is a complete sentence, but Mi meti... would be ungrammatical.
What exactly does meti mean here?
Meti means to put, to place, or to set something somewhere.
So Mi metas grason sur la ĉenon means that the speaker is actively putting grease onto the chain.
It is a very common verb for physically placing something:
- Mi metas la libron sur la tablon. = I put the book on the table.
- Ŝi metas la ŝlosilojn en la sakon. = She puts the keys into the bag.
Why does graso become grason?