huelo

Huelo is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Spanish verb oler, meaning to smell. It is used to indicate that the speaker perceives a scent with the sense of smell, or to describe the smell of something. In everyday usage, the subject is often implied, as in the phrases huelo algo or huele a lavanda (it smells like lavender). The present tense forms are: yo huelo, tú hueles, él huele, nosotros olemos, vosotros oléis, ellos huelen. Oler is irregular in the present tense; the stem appears as huel- for most forms, while the vosotros form uses oléis.

The verb commonly appears in constructions that express smell, such as "huele mal" (it smells bad) or "huele a" followed by a noun or clause to indicate the odor of something, e.g., "La sopa huele a cilantro" or "Esto huele a quemado." Oler can also describe the sense of smell in a more general sense, as in "Me gusta oler las flores."

Etymology: oler comes from the Latin olēre (to smell). Related terms in Spanish include olor (odor) and olfato (sense of smell); many Romance languages have cognate words for the same concept.

See also: oler, olor, olfato.

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