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El experto huele que huele la vainilla.

El experto huele que huele la vainilla.
The expert smells and smells the vanilla.
From Lesson 411:Persistent repetition (verb + que + verb)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of El experto huele que huele la vainilla.

que
that / than
el experto
the expert
la vainilla
the vanilla
oler
to smell

Questions & Answers about El experto huele que huele la vainilla.

Why do we use the structure huele que huele instead of just saying huele?
This "conjugated verb + que + same conjugated verb" structure is a colloquial way to emphasize that an action is continuous, repetitive, or persistent. It translates closely to "smells and smells" or "keeps on smelling," showing that the expert is doing it over and over.
Why does the verb huele start with an 'h' if the infinitive is oler?
This is a classic spelling quirk! The verb oler has a stem change where the 'o' becomes 'ue' when stressed in the present tense. However, Spanish spelling rules dictate that words cannot begin with the vowel combination 'ue'. To fix this, a silent 'h' is added to the front, giving us huele.
Could I say está oliendo y oliendo to mean the same thing?
Yes, using the continuous tense with 'y' works grammatically, but huele que huele is a very common idiomatic pattern. It sounds more natural and adds a vivid, almost exaggerated feeling of stubborn repetition that the gerund doesn't quite capture.
If the subject is plural, do I conjugate both verbs in the que structure?
Yes, exactly. If you were talking about multiple experts, both verbs must agree with the subject. You would say Los expertos huelen que huelen la vainilla. Both verbs always match in tense and person in this persistent repetition structure.

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