Oler las flores del jardín es relajante.

to be

Breakdown of Oler las flores del jardín es relajante.

• el: the
• de: of
• relajante: relaxing

Questions & Answers about Oler las flores del jardín es relajante.

Why is the sentence structured with Oler las flores del jardín at the beginning instead of saying something like Es relajante oler las flores del jardín?

In Spanish, using the infinitive at the beginning of the sentence (Oler las flores del jardín es relajante) is a common way to express an activity as the subject. It places emphasis on the action itself, implying that the focus is on "smelling the flowers." You could also say Es relajante oler las flores del jardín and convey the same meaning, but the focus shifts slightly toward the statement that "it is relaxing."

What does del mean, and why is it used instead of de?

Del is the contraction of de + el. If you combine "de" (of/from) with the masculine definite article "el" (the), you must contract them to del. Because jardín is masculine (el jardín), the correct form is del jardín, not de el jardín.

Why do we use the definite article las in las flores?

In Spanish, definite articles (el, la, los, las) are used more often than in English. Saying las flores indicates we are talking about specific flowers (the ones in the garden). If you just said oler flores, it would mean smelling flowers in general, not necessarily those in this particular garden.

Is oler always used for smelling, or can it have other meanings?