How to Say "You Smell Like" in Spanish

hueles a

/weles a/from spelling rules

The Spanish phrase for "you smell like" is hueles a.

Which one should you use?

While hueles a means "you smell like", huele a is used to mean "it smells like" (referring to a thing or a situation).

The phrase uses the preposition a (to/at) to connect the verb oler (to smell) to the scent being described.

English speakers often mistakenly use como (like/as) instead of a when describing a scent, but in Spanish, oler requires the preposition a.

To say someone smells wonderful, you can say hueles a gloria, which means 'you smell like glory'. This is a common idiomatic expression for a pleasant scent.
The phrase huele a peligro means 'it smells like danger'. Spanish speakers use this to describe a suspicious atmosphere or a bad intuition rather than an actual scent.
The preposition a in hueles a is a linguistic descendant of the Latin ad, which originally meant 'towards' or 'to', effectively directing the sense of smell toward the object.

Hueles a huevo podrido.
You smell like rotten eggs.
This example is useful for saying someone smells like rotten eggs using hueles a.
Tatoeba #1021930 by Shishir, translation #9741403 by DJ_Saidez
Hueles a papel de baño usado.
You smell like used toilet paper.
This example is useful for saying someone smells like used toilet paper using hueles a.
Tatoeba #11205068 by DJ_Saidez, translation #11204943 by janTuki
Hueles a mierda.
You smell like shit.
This example is useful for saying someone smells like shit using hueles a.
Tatoeba #687975 by lukaszpp, translation #687974 by lukaszpp
Huele a perfume.
You smell like perfume.
Hueles a café recién hecho.
You smell like freshly brewed coffee.

Javier and María are sitting in a cafe.

Sources

IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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