riecht

Riecht is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb riechen, meaning to smell or to scent. It describes the act of perceiving odor with the nose or, in many contexts, the presence of a certain smell in a place, object, or person. The phrase es riecht nach … is common to indicate what odor or source is perceived, for example “Es riecht nach Kaffee” or “Es riecht nach Rauch.”

Conjugation and forms are regular for riechen. Präsens: ich rieche, du riechst, er riecht, wir riechen, ihr riecht, sie riechen. Präteritum (Imperfekt): ich roch, du rochst, er roch, wir rochen, ihr rocht, sie rochen. Partizip II: gerochen. Perfekt: ich habe gerochen. Imperativ: rieche (du), riecht (ihr), riechen Sie (Sie).

Usage notes: riechen can denote both a neutral or a negative odor, depending on the context. In addition to literal smells, it can be used metaphorically to indicate suspicion or a sense that something is the case, as in “Es riecht nach Ärger.” The related nouns are der Geruch (odor/smell in a broad, often neutral sense) and der Duft (fragrance, pleasant smell). Antonyms include stinken (to stink) and duften (to scent, typically positively).

Etymology: riechen is a Germanic verb with cognates in related languages; it shares roots with other Germanic words for smell and odor. In everyday language, the form riecht is a common, neutral description of what a person or thing smells like.