odeur
/ɔ.dœʁ/feminine
In French, the word for smell is odeur. Wiktionary also lists parfum and goût.
Meaning: sensation (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| odeur | /ɔ.dœʁ/ | feminine |
| parfum | /paʁ.fœ̃/ /paʁ.fɛ̃/ |
masculine |
| goût | /ɡu/ | masculine |
The term odeur refers to a sensation of smell and is a neutral or even negative word. For a pleasant or sweet-smelling fragrance, especially in formal contexts, use parfum. If you want to describe a delightful, pleasant smell typically associated with nature or flowers, you can use senteur.
Which one should you use?
While odeur is a neutral term for any smell, parfum is used specifically to describe pleasant or fragrant scents. Unlike the general term, parfum implies a scent that is sweet or good.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun odeur is feminine. Because of this, you should use feminine articles such as une (e.g., une odeur) or feminine adjectives like mauvaise (bad).
How do you pronounce it?
/ɔ.dœʁ/
Did you know?
- The word parfum shares a surprising ancestor with the English word 'smoke', as it stems from the Latin 'fumare', meaning 'to smoke' or 'to pass through smoke'.
- If you are describing the scent of a person, using 'odeur' can be a social blunder, as it often implies body odour rather than a pleasant scent.
- While English speakers use 'taste' and 'smell' to describe different senses, the French word goût can sometimes refer to the broader concept of 'flavor', which encompasses both taste and smell.
Examples in context
- Quelle horrible odeur !What a horrid smell!This sentence expresses shock at a horrid smell using odeur.Tatoeba #13217268 by lbdx, translation #12108044 by CK
- Quelle est cette odeur ?What's this smell?This sentence asks for identification of a specific smell using odeur.Tatoeba #610360 by Archibald, translation #610369 by szaby78
- D'où vient cette odeur ?Where's that smell coming from?This sentence asks about the source of a smell using odeur.Tatoeba #6559089 by Aiji, translation #3824487 by CK
- Cette fleur a une odeur agréableThis flower has a pleasant smell
- Son parfum est envoûtantHer perfume is captivating
- Le jardin exhale une senteur délicateThe garden gives off a delicate scent
- Ça sent bonIt smells good
- Ça sent le poissonIt smells like fish
- Ça pue dans cette pièceIt smells bad in this room
- Quelle agréable odeur de fleurs fraîches dans ce jardin!What a pleasant smell of fresh flowers in this garden!
- Il porte toujours un parfum élégant.He always wears an elegant perfume.
- Ça sent délicieusement bon dans cette boulangerie!It smells deliciously good in this bakery!
- Ça pue le fromage!It smells like cheese!
- L'odeur de la mer est inimitable.The smell of the sea is incomparable.
- 133 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are in the kitchen after cooking.
- LucasTu sens cette odeur, Chloé ?Do you smell this, Chloé?
- ChloéOui, c'est une odeur de cuisine très forte.Yes, it is a very strong cooking smell.
- LucasJe pense que l'odeur vient du four.I think the smell is coming from the oven.
- ChloéTu as raison, Lucas.You are right, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “smell” translations and entries odeur, parfum, goût, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries goût, odeur, parfum, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
