to oil
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to oil
To treat something with oil in order to make it run smoothly, lubricate it, or protect it.
Du solltest die Fahrradkette mal wieder ölen, sie quietscht schon.
You should oil the bicycle chain again sometime; it's already squeaking.
to oil
To dress food, especially salads, with cooking oil.
Sie ölt den Salat immer mit einem hochwertigen Olivenöl.
She always oils the salad with a high-quality olive oil.
The verb 'ölen' (to oil) is derived directly from the noun 'das Öl' (oil). It describes the action of applying oil to something.
Man braucht nur ein paar Tropfen Öl, um das quietschende Türscharnier zu ölen.
You only need a few drops of oil to oil the squeaky door hinge.
'Ölen' (to oil) is a transitive verb and always requires an accusative object. The structure is always: someone oils 'something'.
Ich muss dringend mein quietschendes Garagentor ölen.
I urgently need to oil my squeaky garage door.
You can recognize the meaning of 'ölen' (to oil) from the object: if it refers to technical parts like a chain or a hinge, it is about lubrication. If it refers to food like salad, it is about cooking.
Der Mechaniker ölt den Motor.
The mechanic oils the engine.
to turn on / hit on / dress
To anmachen a salad means to prepare it with a dressing that can contain ingredients in addition to oil. To ölen a salad, on the other hand, emphasizes only adding cooking oil.
Mia ölt den Gurkensalat zunächst nur leicht.
Mia initially oils the cucumber salad only lightly.
Mia macht den Gurkensalat mit Öl, Essig und Gewürzen an.
Mia dresses the cucumber salad with oil, vinegar, and spices.
