Patrick Jackson
In this blog post, I will cover the correct way to use the Spanish verb “oler” as well as the
correct way to use the Spanish verb “saber.” Besides learning how to use the Spanish verbs
Saber and Oler, you will also learn the following vocabulary from this blog post:
1. How to say cigarette in Spanish
2. How to say you smell like . . . in Spanish
3. How to say this tastes like . . . in Spanish
4. How to say cake in Spanish
5. How to say chocolate in Spanish
Recently, I heard an American friend here in Medellín, Colombia make a mistake that involved the Spanish verb “oler.”
My friend, his “novia” (girlfriend) and I were at a bar having drinks. And then his girlfriend went outside the bar to smoke a cigarette. When she returned, I heard my American friend say to her:
Tú hueles como cigarillos.
That is NOT the correct way to say “you smell like cigarettes” in Spanish.
In Spanish you normally use the “oler a” construction to say that something or
someone smells like something. You do NOT use “oler como.”
So he should have said to her:
Tú hueles a cigarrillo.
You smell like cigarettes.
The same rules applies when you want to say that something tastes like something. You must use the “saber a” construction You do NOT use “saber como.”
Esta torta sabe a chocolate.
This cakes tastes like chocolate.
