Wir schmieren die Fahrradkette mit Kettenöl.

with

Breakdown of Wir schmieren die Fahrradkette mit Kettenöl.

• wir: we
• das Kettenöl: the bicycle-chain oil
• die Fahrradkette: the bicycle chain

Questions & Answers about Wir schmieren die Fahrradkette mit Kettenöl.

Why is it wir schmieren and not wir schmierenen or something longer?

Because schmieren is the infinitive, and with wir in the present tense, regular verbs usually keep the -en ending:

• ich schmiere
• du schmierst
• er/sie/es schmiert
• wir schmieren
• ihr schmiert
• sie/Sie schmieren

So wir schmieren is the correct present-tense form.

What exactly does schmieren mean here?

In this sentence, schmieren means something like to grease, to lubricate, or to apply oil/grease to.

Depending on context, schmieren can also mean things like:

• to smear
• to spread
• sometimes even informal meanings in other contexts

But with die Fahrradkette and mit Kettenöl, the meaning is clearly to lubricate the bicycle chain.

Why is die Fahrradkette in the sentence?

Die Fahrradkette is the direct object — it is the thing being lubricated.

The verb schmieren here acts on something, so that thing goes in the accusative case.
The noun die Fahrradkette is feminine singular, and for feminine nouns the article is:

• nominative: die
• accusative: die

So the form stays die Fahrradkette.