Cuando me acerque a esa panadería, oleré el delicioso aroma del pan recién hecho.

When I get closer to that bakery, I will smell the delicious aroma of freshly made bread.

Breakdown of Cuando me acerque a esa panadería, oleré el delicioso aroma del pan recién hecho.

• yo: I
• el pan: the bread
• me: me
• cuando: when
• el: the
• a: to
• de: of
• delicioso: delicious
• esa: that
• ,: comma
• acercarse: to get closer
• la panadería: the bakery
• oler: to smell
• el aroma: the aroma
• recién: freshly
• hecho: made

Questions & Answers about Cuando me acerque a esa panadería, oleré el delicioso aroma del pan recién hecho.

Why is me acerque in the subjunctive mood here?

In Spanish, when referring to a future event introduced by cuando (meaning when), the verb that follows generally appears in the subjunctive. This is because the action (approaching the bakery) is not yet realized; it's hypothetical or pending.

Why does the sentence use the future tense oleré instead of a present tense like huelo?

With oleré (future tense), the speaker is describing what will happen in the future—when the person actually reaches or gets close to the bakery. It emphasizes the action as something that will occur once a certain condition (getting close) is met.

Is acercarse always reflexive, and how does it change in different contexts?

Acercarse is commonly used in a reflexive form to indicate that the subject is moving closer to something (here, me acerque → I get closer). However, it can also appear in a non-reflexive form (acercar) when directing something else closer: for example, acercar la silla (to bring the chair closer).

Why is esa used instead of esta when referring to the bakery?

Esa implies a bit more distance from the speaker’s immediate location, compared to esta (this), which would suggest closer proximity. The choice depends on how the speaker perceives the bakery’s location relative to themselves.

How is recién hecho used in this sentence, and could it be placed anywhere else?

Recién hecho literally means just made and acts like an adjective phrase describing the bread. Its typical position is right after pan to directly modify it. You could move it around slightly, but it's most natural and clear to keep it next to pan in everyday Spanish usage.