The sense of smell is a powerful one, evoking memories and emotions. Whether it's the delightful aroma of a freshly baked croissant or a less pleasant odor, knowing how to describe what you're smelling is essential. In French, just like in English, there isn't just one word for 'smell'. The word you choose can depend on whether the scent is good, bad, or neutral. Let's dive into nine different ways to talk about smells in French, so you can describe the world around you with more precision and flair!

The standard 'smell' (good or bad) – une odeur

The most common and neutral French word for 'smell' is une odeur. It can be used to describe any kind of scent, whether it's pleasant, unpleasant, or somewhere in between.

Une odeur directly translates to 'a smell' or 'an odor'. It is a fundamental vocabulary word for describing sensory experiences. Crucially, remember that odeur is a feminine noun, so you will always use feminine articles and adjectives with it, like une or la.

By itself, une odeur is neutral. To specify whether the smell is good or bad, you must add an adjective. This is the most direct way to convey your meaning and avoid ambiguity.

To describe a good smell, you would say une **bonne** odeur (a good smell) or une odeur **agréable** (a pleasant smell). For a bad smell, you would use une **mauvaise** odeur (a bad smell) or une odeur **désagréable** (an unpleasant smell).

Often, the context makes the adjective unnecessary. If you say, Quelle bonne odeur dans cette boulangerie ! (What a good smell in this bakery!), the positive nature is clear. Similarly, Il y a une odeur étrange près de la poubelle (There's a strange smell near the trash can) strongly implies a negative scent.

💡 * J'aime l'odeur du café le matin. (I love the smell of coffee in the morning.)

Il y a une mauvaise odeur dans cette pièce. (There is a bad smell in this room.)

Quelle est cette odeur ? Ça sent bon ! (What is that smell? It smells good!)

Les égouts dégagent une odeur nauséabonde. (The sewers give off a nauseating odor.)

The pleasant 'scent' or 'fragrance' – un parfum

When you want to talk about a pleasant smell in French, the word you'll most often reach for is un parfum.

Its most direct and common translation is "perfume"—the scented liquid you wear. If you walk into a cosmetics store, you'll be looking for un parfum.

However, un parfum isn't limited to bottles. It can describe any delightful fragrance, such as the scent of flowers, a delicious meal, or fresh laundry. The key is its positive connotation; it always refers to a smell you enjoy.

Here's a crucial and very common usage: un parfum also means "flavor," especially for ice cream, yogurt, or tea. When an ice cream vendor asks, Quel parfum ?, they're asking, "What flavor?"

Like its English counterparts, un parfum can be used figuratively to mean an "air" or "hint" of something. For example, you might hear of un parfum de scandale (a hint of scandal) or un parfum d'aventure (an air of adventure).

Remember, while une odeur can be neutral or bad, un parfum is almost exclusively reserved for scents (and flavors) that are pleasing to the senses.

💡 * J'adore le parfum des roses dans ton jardin.

Quel parfum de glace voulez-vous ? Vanille ou chocolat ?

Elle a acheté un nouveau parfum à Paris.

Le matin, j'aime le parfum du café frais.

Il y avait dans sa voix un parfum de nostalgie.

The 'aroma' (especially for food and drink) – un arôme

When you want to describe the complex, pleasant smell of food or drink in French, the word you're looking for is un arôme.

Un arôme is a masculine noun that specifically refers to an 'aroma' or 'fragrance,' particularly one that emanates from food, coffee, wine, or spices. It carries a distinctly positive and often sophisticated connotation.

Unlike the general word for 'smell' (une odeur), which can be neutral or even negative, un arôme is almost always positive. It's also more specific than un parfum, which typically refers to perfume or flowers, rather than something you would eat or drink.

You'll often find arôme used in culinary contexts, such as describing the bouquet of a wine, the scent of fresh herbs, or the fragrance of a spice. It can also refer to flavorings, as in un arôme de vanille (a vanilla flavoring).

The plural form is les arômes, used to talk about multiple scents, like the complex aromas in a dish or a glass of wine. For example, Ce vin a des arômes de fruits rouges (This wine has aromas of red fruits).

💡 * L'arôme du café frais remplit la cuisine le matin. (The aroma of fresh coffee fills the kitchen in the morning.)

Le chef a ajouté des herbes pour rehausser l'arôme du plat. (The chef added herbs to enhance the dish's aroma.)

Ce fromage dégage un arôme très puissant. (This cheese gives off a very strong aroma.)

J'adore l'arôme de la cannelle dans les desserts. (I love the aroma of cinnamon in desserts.)

The delicate 'scent' (often from nature) – une senteur

The delicate 'scent' (often from nature) – une senteur

Une senteur refers to a delicate, pleasant, and often subtle smell, typically associated with nature like flowers, the forest, or the sea. Unlike une odeur (a general smell, which can be good or bad), une senteur is almost always positive and has a more poetic or refined connotation.

This word is perfect for describing the gentle fragrance of perfumes, gardens, or fresh air. It evokes a pleasant and often faint aroma rather than a strong, overpowering smell. Think of the scent of lavender or the fragrance of a pine forest after the rain.

Remember that senteur is a feminine noun. This means you must use feminine articles and adjectives with it, for example, une douce senteur (a sweet scent) or cette belle senteur (this beautiful scent).

💡 * J'aime la senteur des roses dans le jardin. (I love the scent of the roses in the garden.)

Cette bougie dégage une senteur apaisante de lavande. (This candle gives off a soothing scent of lavender.)

La senteur de la pluie sur la terre chaude est unique. (The scent of rain on the warm earth is unique.)

Le parfum a une senteur boisée et délicate. (The perfume has a delicate, woody scent.)

1. The 'stink' or 'stench' – une puanteur

Une puanteur is a feminine noun that translates to "a stink," "a stench," or "a reek." It describes a very strong and extremely unpleasant smell, much more intense than a simple mauvaise odeur (bad smell).

This noun comes directly from the verb puer, which means "to stink" or "to reek." If something pue, it emits une puanteur. For example, Ça pue ici ! means "It stinks in here!"

You would use une puanteur to describe powerful and offensive odors. Think of things like overflowing garbage cans, rotten food, or severe pollution. It's a strong word used to express disgust.

Like its English counterparts, une puanteur can also be used figuratively to describe something morally corrupt or repulsive, such as la puanteur de la corruption (the stench of corruption).

Remember to reserve une puanteur for truly foul smells. For a less intense bad smell, une mauvaise odeur is more appropriate.

💡 * Quelle puanteur dans cette ruelle ! (What a stench in this alley!)

La puanteur des ordures était insupportable. (The stench of the garbage was unbearable.)

J'ai ouvert la fenêtre pour chasser la puanteur. (I opened the window to get rid of the stink.)

Il y a une puanteur qui vient du frigo. (There's a stench coming from the fridge.)

The 'whiff' or 'emanation' (often poetic) – un effluve

To capture the essence of a subtle, fleeting scent in French, especially in a literary or poetic context, you would use the word un effluve. It translates to a 'whiff,' 'emanation,' or 'faint scent.'

Un effluve is distinct from more common words for smell. While une odeur is a general term for any smell (good or bad) and un parfum refers to a perfume or a strong, pleasant fragrance, un effluve describes a delicate, often pleasant scent that drifts through the air. It implies subtlety and lightness.

This noun is primarily found in descriptive and literary writing. It's used to evoke a specific atmosphere, such as the scent of flowers carried on the breeze (les effluves du jardin), a lingering trace of perfume (un effluve de parfum), or the fresh, salty air from the ocean (les effluves marins).

Pay close attention to its gender: effluve is a masculine noun. It is always un effluve or l'effluve. This is an important exception to remember, as many French nouns ending in '-e' are feminine.

Because of its sophisticated and poetic nature, un effluve is not typically used in casual, everyday conversation. For asking what a smell is, stick to Quelle est cette odeur ?. Reserve un effluve for more descriptive, evocative, and formal contexts to add a touch of elegance to your French.

💡 * Un doux effluve de jasmin flottait dans l'air du soir.

En ouvrant la boîte, un effluve de chocolat et d'épices s'est échappé.

J'ai reconnu son passage à l'effluve de son parfum.

Les effluves de la forêt après la pluie sont toujours apaisants.

The 'smell of cooking' – un fumet

To describe the delicious, savory aroma of food cooking, the perfect French word is un fumet. This term specifically refers to the pleasant and appetizing smell that fills the air when a dish is simmering, roasting, or stewing.

Un fumet is a masculine noun that captures the rich, complex scent of cooking, particularly from sauces, broths, or meats. It's more specific than the general word for 'smell' (une odeur), as fumet almost always implies a pleasant, food-related aroma that stimulates the appetite.

In addition to being a general term for a cooking aroma, un fumet is also a specific culinary term for a concentrated stock, typically made from fish, meat, or vegetables. For instance, un fumet de poisson is a fish stock used as a base for many sauces and soups.

💡 * Le fumet qui s'échappait de la cuisine m'a tout de suite mis en appétit. (The aroma wafting from the kitchen immediately whetted my appetite.)

Ce plat dégage un fumet délicieux de vin rouge et d'herbes. (This dish gives off a delicious smell of red wine and herbs.)

Le chef a utilisé un fumet de crustacés pour préparer sa fameuse bisque. (The chef used a shellfish stock to prepare his famous bisque.)

The musty or stale 'smell' – un relent

The musty or stale 'smell' – un relent

The masculine noun un relent describes a lingering, unpleasant smell. It’s the kind of musty or stagnant odor that hangs in the air, often after the source is gone. Think of it as a 'whiff' or a 'trace' of something stale.

You would use un relent to describe the smell of a damp room (un relent d'humidité), stale smoke, or old food in a refrigerator. It almost always has a negative connotation and is not used for pleasant smells.

Beyond literal smells, un relent can be used figuratively to mean 'a trace' or 'a hint' of a negative quality or old idea. For example, one might speak of un relent de colonialisme (a trace of colonialism) in a political speech.

💡 * Il y a un relent de moisi dans cette cave. (There's a musty smell in this cellar.)

La pièce sentait mauvais, avec un relent de fumée froide. (The room smelled bad, with a lingering scent of cold smoke.)

Après son départ, il flottait un relent de son parfum dans l'ascenseur. (After he left, a whiff of his cologne lingered in the elevator.)

Ses propos avaient un relent de mépris. (His words had a hint of contempt.)

1. The Verb 'to smell': Sentir

The main verb for 'to smell' in French is sentir. It's a versatile, irregular verb that covers two main actions: the act of perceiving an odor with your nose, and the act of emitting an odor.

When you are actively smelling something, you use sentir followed by a direct object. This is the transitive use of the verb. For instance, Je sens la pluie qui arrive means 'I smell the rain coming.'

Sentir is also used to describe how something smells. In this case, it's often followed by an adjective or a noun. For example, Ça sent bon ! means 'That smells good!', and Cette pièce sent le renfermé means 'This room smells musty.'

It is crucial not to confuse sentir with its reflexive form, se sentir. The verb se sentir means 'to feel' emotionally or physically (e.g., Je me sens bien - 'I feel good'). It is not used for smelling.

💡 * Tu sens cette odeur de croissants ? (Do you smell those croissants?)

Ces fleurs sentent merveilleusement bon. (These flowers smell wonderfully good.)

Attention, ça sent le gaz ici. (Be careful, it smells like gas here.)

Je sens que quelque chose ne va pas. (I feel/sense that something is wrong.)

Are there other ways to say 'smell' in French?

Our list features the most essential words for 'smell' in French, from the all-purpose verb sentir to the common noun une odeur. However, the French language is full of descriptive, sensory words, and there are many more nuanced terms, including literary, regional, and slang expressions.

You can discover more vocabulary by doing an online search for “synonymes du mot odeur” or “comment décrire une odeur en français.” This is a great way to find more specific words.

When you find a new word, it’s crucial to check its connotation. Does it imply a good smell (like un arôme or un parfum) or a bad one (like une puanteur)? Always try to see the word used in context before using it yourself.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French. You'll notice how authors and speakers describe the scents of food, nature, and cities, which is a fantastic way to expand your vocabulary naturally.

If you want to explore more related terms and their subtle differences, the entries for odeur and sentir on a dictionary site like Larousse or WordReference are excellent starting points.

I hope this article has helped you make sense of scents in French! To finish, here's a perfect quote from the famous French perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain: Le parfum est la forme la plus intense du souvenir. (Perfume is the most intense form of memory.)

'9 ways to say "smell" in French'