The verb sentir is an interesting verb as it is more general and vague than the verb to smell in English.
Meanings of "sentir" in French
1.
Sentir is first of all used to express the sense of smell:
2.
Sentir can also be used in a larger sense to express to feel something:
3.
And in some cases, sentir can even be used to express taste, in a very general context of 'sensing' the presence of an ingredient for example:
ATTENTION:
You use the same structure - sentir [quelque chose] - to express both to smell/feel/taste [something] AND to smell like/of [something].
Note that in the case of smell like/of, you always use definite articles le, la, l', les as the simile is general.
Since the structure is the same, it is only the context that makes the meaning clear:
Special cases
Look at the following fixed expressions in French:
- sentir la rose, which means to smell good, literally 'to smell of roses'
- ne pas sentir la rose, which means to smell bad/nasty, literally 'to not smell of roses'
See also the more advanced "Sentir bon" vs "Se sentir bien" - The different meanings of the verb "sentir" in French
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