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Questions & Answers about El desayuno huele delicioso.
Why is the article el used before desayuno?
In Spanish you normally put the definite article before meals. Desayuno is a masculine noun, so you say el desayuno. Leaving out the article (as you do in English) would sound odd to a native speaker.
Why is huele in the third-person singular?
The subject of the sentence is el desayuno (it/he), which is third-person singular. The verb oler (“to smell”) in the present indicative for él/ella/usted is huele.
Why is there no a between huele and delicioso?
Spanish uses a after oler only when the complement is a noun or pronoun (e.g. huele a humo). When you describe how something smells with an adjective, you skip a and go straight to huele + adjective.
Why does delicioso end in -o instead of -a?
Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since desayuno is masculine singular, the adjective must also be masculine singular: delicioso.
Could I say huele deliciosamente?
No. You need an adjective to describe the noun (the breakfast), not an adverb modifying the action of smelling. Huele delicioso is correct; deliciosamente would mean “it smells in a delicious way,” which isn’t idiomatic.
What’s the difference between huele and apesta?
Both talk about smell, but huele is neutral (you can say huele delicioso or huele mal), while apesta always means “it stinks” (negative).
Can I use huele riquísimo instead?
Absolutely. Riquísimo is the superlative of rico, so El desayuno huele riquísimo means “The breakfast smells incredibly delicious.”
How do you pronounce huele?
The h is silent. The ue is a diphthong, so it comes out roughly as WEH-leh (IPA: [ˈwe.le]).
How can I intensify delicioso in this sentence?
You have a few natural options:
• El desayuno huele muy delicioso.
• El desayuno huele súper delicioso. (casual)
• El desayuno huele riquísimo.
• El desayuno huele deliciosísimo. (less common but possible)