Die Suppe duftet nach Gemüse.

The soup smells of vegetables.

Breakdown of Die Suppe duftet nach Gemüse.

• die Suppe: the soup
• das Gemüse: the vegetable
• duften nach: to smell of

Questions & Answers about Die Suppe duftet nach Gemüse.

Why is nach used before Gemüse rather than another preposition?

In German, the verb duften (to emit a pleasant smell) is always followed by the preposition nach plus a noun in the dative case to indicate what something smells of. So you say duftet nach (something), much like English uses “smells of.”

What grammatical case is Gemüse in?

Gemüse here is in the dative case because the preposition nach always governs the dative. Even though Gemüse is a neuter noun, it doesn’t take an extra ending when it stands alone as a mass noun.

Why is there no article before Gemüse?

Gemüse is an uncountable (mass) noun when speaking in general terms, so German often drops the article. If you wanted to refer to specific vegetables, you would use an article or plural: e.g. nach dem Gemüse (after the vegetables in a specific dish) or nach Karotten (after carrots).

What does the verb duften mean here, and how does it differ from riechen?

duften means “to give off a pleasant/fragrant smell,” implying that the scent is agreeable. riechen is more neutral—it can mean “to smell” in the sense of actively sniffing or noticing any odor, good or bad.

How is duften conjugated in the sentence Die Suppe duftet nach Gemüse?

The subject die Suppe is third person singular. You take the infinitive duften, remove -en, and add -et, forming duftet.

Why is die Suppe in the nominative case?

In a German main clause, the subject (the one doing the action or having the property) is in the nominative. Here, die Suppe is the subject that “smells,” so it stays in the nominative.

Can I change the word order to Nach Gemüse duftet die Suppe?

Yes. German allows you to place a prepositional phrase at the front for emphasis. The finite verb still occupies the second position:
Nach Gemüse | duftet | die Suppe.

Could I say Es duftet nach Gemüse instead?

Absolutely. Using the dummy subject es is common when you want to make a general statement about a smell. You would simply say Es duftet nach Gemüse.