You look good versus "You smell good"?

Question

It is my understanding that "you look good" translates as, "te ves bien" and that you see well (as in, your vision is good) can be said as "tu ves bien." However, saying you smell good and your sense of smell is good, are both "tu hueles bien," while based on the previous example I would think "you smell good" would be "te hueles bien." Is this just an inconsistency of the language/a manner of expression, or is there some structure/logic to it? Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi there,

This is all great! You're right, "you smell good" and "your sense of smell is good" both do TECHNICALLY translate to "tu hueles bien". However, in conversation one wouldn't usually use "tu hueles bien" to communicate to someone that their "sense of smell is good". One would say something more like"tu sentido de oler esta bien" or "tu tienes un buen sentido de oler". It's like someone in the English language saying "you smell good" when trying to say "your sense of smell is good," "you smell good" could technically mean that but we wouldn't usually say it that way.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further explanation.

Best,

Ms. Stephanie