The word "oler" is a verb in Spanish.
The phonetic transcription of "oler" in the International Phonetic Alphabet is /oˈleɾ/.
The most common translation of "oler" is "to smell." Other possible translations depending on context include "to sniff" or "to scent."
"Oler" refers to the act of perceiving scents or odors through the sense of smell. It can be used to describe the action of detecting a smell or the quality of an object that emits a scent. This verb is frequently used in everyday conversation, particularly in contexts involving food, flowers, or environmental conditions. It can occur in both spoken and written forms, but its usage may be more prevalent in oral speech when describing immediate smells.
El perro huele algo raro en el jardín.
The dog smells something strange in the garden.
Me encanta oler las flores en primavera.
I love to smell the flowers in spring.
¿Por qué huele a quemado en la cocina?
Why does it smell burnt in the kitchen?
"Oler" is often incorporated into various idiomatic expressions in Spanish. Here are a few common ones, along with examples:
Oler a chamusquina
to smell something fishy (to sense something suspicious)
Ejemplo: En la reunión, el ambiente olía a chamusquina, como si alguien ocultara la verdad.
In the meeting, the atmosphere smelled fishy, as if someone was hiding the truth.
Oler a podrido
to smell rotten (to sense decay or corruption)
Ejemplo: La corrupción en el gobierno olía a podrido y necesitaba ser expuesta.
The corruption in the government smelled rotten and needed to be exposed.
Oler a flores
to smell like flowers (to suggest pleasantness or beauty)
Ejemplo: El jardín olía a flores, lo que alegraba el día de todos.
The garden smelled like flowers, which brightened everyone's day.
Oler la traición
to smell betrayal (to sense deceit or mistrust)
Ejemplo: Desde que cambió su actitud, empecé a oler la traición entre nosotros.
Since he changed his attitude, I started to smell betrayal between us.
The word "oler" comes from the Latin "olfacere," which is a combination of "olfactus" meaning "smell" and "facere," meaning "to make." Over time, it evolved in the Spanish language into its current form.