Question 1

Why use the infinitive Añadir instead of a command like Añade or Añada?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an independent infinitive used for impersonal instructions. You'll see this frequently in manuals, recipes, and signs. Instead of giving a direct command to a specific person (like "you, add the lubricant"), it states a general step in a procedure.

Question 2

Is it possible to use agregar instead of añadir in this context?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Agregar and añadir both mean "to add" and are largely interchangeable. In much of Latin America, you will actually hear agregar more often in everyday speech, though añadir is very common in written instructions and technical manuals like this one.

Question 3

Why does it use al engranaje instead of en el engranaje?

Accepted Answer

The verb añadir requires the preposition a to indicate where the object is being added, similar to how you add something to a mixture in English. Because engranaje is masculine (el engranaje), the preposition a and the article el combine to form the mandatory contraction al.

Question 4

Is there a trick to remembering the gender of engranaje?

Accepted Answer

Yes! A very reliable rule of thumb in Spanish is that nouns ending in -aje are almost always masculine. You already know several of these, such as el viaje (the trip), el mensaje (the message), and el equipaje (the luggage).

Añadir el lubricante al engranaje.

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