El olor del café es agradable.

The smell of coffee is pleasant.

Breakdown of El olor del café es agradable.

• ser: to be
• el: the
• de: of
• agradable: pleasant
• el café: the coffee
• el olor: the smell

Questions & Answers about El olor del café es agradable.

Why do we say "del" instead of "de el"?

Del is the contraction of de (of/from) + el (the). In Spanish, whenever de is followed by the masculine article el, they combine to form del. So, instead of de el café, you say del café.

Why do we use "es" instead of "está" to describe the smell?

In Spanish, ser (es) typically describes permanent or inherent characteristics, while estar (está) is used for temporary states or locations. The smell being pleasant (agradable) is considered an inherent or characteristic quality of the coffee’s smell, so es is the natural choice.

Could we say "El olor a café es agradable"?

Yes, you could say El olor a café es agradable, which means "The smell of coffee is pleasant." However, El olor del café more explicitly indicates that the smell belongs to the coffee (literally, "the smell of the coffee"), while olor a café can sometimes place more emphasis on the type of smell rather than ownership.

Why is "olor" masculine if it ends with "-or"?

Many nouns ending in -or are masculine in Spanish (e.g., el color, el dolor). There isn’t always a strict rule for noun gender based on final letters, but in this case, olor is traditionally masculine.

What does "agradable" mean, and can it change form?

Agradable means "pleasant" or "nice." It is an adjective ending in -able, so it does not change between masculine and feminine forms; it stays agradable whether you describe el olor (masculine) or la fragancia (feminine). It only changes number if it becomes plural (e.g., Los olores agradables).