oler Preterite Conjugation
oler — to smell (of something)
The preterite of oler is regular: olí, oliste, olió, olimos, olisteis, olieron.
oler Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific moment when you caught a scent or when something emitted a smell at a fixed point in time.
Notes on oler in the Preterite
Oler is actually regular in the preterite. The 'h' and the 'ue' stem change seen in the present tense do not apply here.
Example Sentences
Olí el perfume y supe que era ella.
I smelled the perfume and knew it was her.
yo
¿Oliste el humo anoche?
Did you smell the smoke last night?
tú
Las flores olieron muy bien durante la fiesta.
The flowers smelled very good during the party.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'huelió' instead of 'olió'.
Correct: La forma correcta es 'olió'.
Why: Learners often try to carry the 'h' and 'ue' from the present tense into the preterite, but this verb is regular in the past.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: huelo
Oler is highly irregular in the present: huelo, hueles, huele, olemos, oléis, huelen.
Imperfect
yo: olía
The imperfect of oler is regular: olía, olías, olía, olíamos, olíais, olían.
Future
yo: oleré
The future of oler is regular: oleré, olerás, olerá, oleremos, oleréis, olerán.
Conditional
yo: olería
The conditional of oler is regular: olería, olerías, olería, oleríamos, oleríais, olerían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: huela
The present subjunctive follows the present indicative's irregularities: huela, huelas, huela, olamos, oláis, huelan.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: oliera
The imperfect subjunctive is regular based on the preterite stem: oliera, olieras, oliera, oliéramos, olierais, olieran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: huele
Use the imperative to tell someone to smell something: huele, huela, olamos, oled, huelan.
Negative Imperative
yo: no huelas
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no huelas, no huela, no olamos, no oláis, no huelan.