olía

olía is the imperfect indicative form of the Spanish verb oler, meaning to smell. It is used to describe past sensations of smell that were ongoing, habitual, or background in nature. The form olía appears identical in the yo and él/ella/usted forms in the singular, while the other conjugations are tú olías, nosotros olíamos, vosotros olíais, ellos/ellas/ustedes olían.

In use, olía conveys a smell that was present for a period or as a general characteristic, rather than a single, completed moment. For a definite, completed instance in the past, Spanish typically uses the pretérito: la casa olió a humedad when referring to a specific moment, or cuando llegó la lluvia, la casa olió a humedad.

Examples: “La casa olía a humedad.” “Cuando entré, olía pan recién hecho.” These illustrate how olía describes perceptible smells in the past, often setting a scene or mood.

Etymology and related forms: oler derives from Latin olere. The imperfect tense forms follow regular -ía endings for this verb in the imperfect. The related present forms (huele, huelen) differ in tense and agreement.

Notes: as with many Spanish past tenses, contexto clarifica whether a smell is described as a background characteristic or as a particular moment. Olía also appears in reported speech or descriptive narration to depict past sensory impressions.