Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Smell’: Forms, Usage & Examples

by

The verb “smell” is central to English when describing sensory experiences, allowing us to convey perceptions of odors, scents, and even figurative suspicions. Whether narrating a story, reporting an event, or expressing feelings, mastering the past tense of “smell” enables clear, vivid, and accurate communication.

However, “smell” poses unique challenges. It is an irregular verb with two accepted past tense forms—“smelled” and “smelt”—whose usage varies regionally between American and British English. This variation often confuses learners, writers, and even native speakers.

This comprehensive article is designed for learners at all proficiency levels, English teachers, writers, and non-native speakers aiming for fluency. We will explore definitions, verb forms, conjugations, extensive examples, rules, common mistakes, practice exercises, and advanced insights.

Expect clear explanations, numerous tables, and a wealth of examples to reinforce every concept. Practice exercises with answers will help you test your understanding and build confidence.

By the end, you will confidently use “smell” in all past tense forms, enhancing your descriptive and narrative skills in English.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. Overview of the Verb “Smell”

The verb “smell” is a sense verb that describes the act of perceiving odors through the nose. It is used to convey both literal sensory perception and figurative senses (e.g., suspicion).

Grammatically, “smell” is classified as an irregular verb, since it has more than one past form. It functions as both:

  • Transitive verb: requires a direct object (e.g., She smells the flowers.)
  • Intransitive verb: does not require a direct object (e.g., The kitchen smells delicious.)

Present tense examples:

  1. I smell fresh bread from the bakery. (transitive)
  2. She smells perfume on her scarf. (transitive)
  3. The room smells musty. (intransitive)
  4. It smells like rain outside. (intransitive)
  5. They smell the ocean breeze. (transitive)

3.2. What Does “Past Tense of Smell” Mean?

The past tense in English indicates actions or states that occurred before the present moment.

Specifically, the past tense of “smell” is used to describe previous sensory experiences or events involving smell.

It is important to distinguish between:

  • Simple past: describes a completed action in the past (e.g., I smelled smoke.)
  • Past participle: used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or passive voice (e.g., I have smelled perfume before.)
Table 1: Forms of “smell”
Form Example
Base form smell
Simple past smelled / smelt
Past participle smelled / smelt
Present participle smelling

3.3. Grammatical Function of Past Tense

Past tense verbs signal that an action or state occurred at a specific time in the past. They indicate:

  • Time: when the action happened
  • Aspect: whether the action was completed, ongoing, or habitual
  • Sequence: the order of past events

Temporal markers often accompany past tense verbs, such as:

  • Yesterday
  • Last week
  • Earlier
  • In 2010
  • Two days ago

Examples:

  • I smelled smoke yesterday.
  • She smelt roses last week.
  • They had smelled gas earlier.

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Base Form and Infinitive

The base form of the verb is “smell”.

The infinitive form is “to smell”.

Examples (present tense):

  • I love to smell fresh flowers.
  • Dogs smell very well.
  • Can you smell the coffee?

4.2. Simple Past Forms: Regular and Irregular

“Smell” is unique because it has two accepted simple past forms:

  • Regular form: smelled (adds -ed)
  • Irregular variant: smelt

Regional preferences:

  • American English (AmE): prefers “smelled”
  • British English (BrE): accepts both, but often favors “smelt”
Table 2: Regional usage comparison
Region Preferred Form Example Sentence
American English smelled I smelled smoke last night.
British English smelt She smelt gas in the kitchen.
British English (alternative) smelled He smelled fresh paint on the wall.

4.3. Past Participle Forms

The past participle of “smell” also has two accepted forms:

  • smelled
  • smelt

They are used in:

  • Perfect tenses: I have smelled/smelt the flowers.
  • Passive voice: The gas had been smelled/smelt before the alarm.

Examples:

  • We have smelled the delicious aroma before.
  • She has smelt that perfume many times.
  • The leak had been smelled by the workers.

4.4. Verb Conjugation Patterns

Let’s see how “smell” conjugates across main English tenses, with both variants:

Table 3: Full conjugation of “smell”
Tense Form with “smelled” Form with “smelt”
Simple Present I/You/We/They smell
He/She/It smells		 Same
Present Continuous am/is/are smelling Same
Simple Past smelled smelt
Past Continuous was/were smelling Same
Present Perfect have/has smelled have/has smelt
Past Perfect had smelled had smelt
Future will smell Same
Future Perfect will have smelled will have smelt

4.5. Pronunciation Differences

American and British English pronounce both forms similarly:

  • smelled: /smɛld/ (one syllable)
  • smelt: /smɛlt/ (one syllable)

Notes:

  • Stress is on the only syllable.
  • Pronunciation does not vary significantly by dialect.
  • Audio practice: focus on the final /d/ in “smelled” and final /t/ in “smelt.”

5. Types or Categories of Past Tense Usage

5.1. Simple Past (Indefinite)

Use: To express a completed action in the past.

Examples:

  • I smelled smoke.
  • She smelt perfume on her scarf.
  • They smelled something burning.
  • He smelt rotten eggs.

5.2. Past Continuous

Form: was/were + smelling

Use: For actions in progress at a specific past time.

Examples:

  • The detective was smelling the contents of the bottle.
  • They were smelling the flowers when it started raining.
  • I was smelling different spices in the market.

5.3. Past Perfect

Form: had + smelled/smelt

Use: For an action completed before another past action.

Examples:

  • He had smelled gas before the explosion.
  • She had smelt something strange before fainting.
  • They had smelled the roses before the event began.

5.4. Past Perfect Continuous (Advanced)

Form: had been + smelling

Use: To show duration of an action up to a certain point in the past.

Example:

  • She had been smelling the roses for an hour before leaving.
  • They had been smelling paint fumes all day before the workers finished.

5.5. Passive Voice Forms

Use: To focus on the experience or object rather than the person doing the smelling.

Examples:

  • The suspicious odor was smelled by the guards.
  • The dinner was smelt by everyone in the house.
  • The leak had been smelled before the alarm sounded.

6. Examples Section

6.1. Organized Usage Examples

Table 4: Examples by tense and region
Tense/Form American English British English
Simple Past (regular) I smelled smoke last night. I smelled fresh paint in the hall.
Simple Past (irregular) (rare) She smelt gas in the kitchen.
Present Perfect They have smelled rotten food before throwing it away. He has smelt that cologne before.
Past Continuous We were smelling all the spices at the market. The children were smelling the flowers in the park.
Past Perfect She had smelled trouble coming. They had smelt burning rubber before the fire alarm.
Passive Voice The odor was smelled by the inspectors. The perfume was smelt throughout the room.

Additional examples (covering 40+ contexts):

  • I smelled fresh coffee brewing this morning.
  • She smelt something suspicious and called security.
  • They smelled burnt toast in the kitchen.
  • He smelt the damp earth after the rain.
  • We smelled chlorine at the swimming pool.
  • The dog smelled the stranger’s bag.
  • The garden smelled wonderful in spring.
  • She had smelled the perfume before buying it.
  • They were smelling different perfumes at the store.
  • I smelled something fishy about his story.
  • The mechanic smelled gasoline leaking from the car.
  • The candles smelled like vanilla.
  • He smelt her hair as they hugged.
  • We had smelled mold in the basement earlier.
  • The bakery smelled amazing when I walked in.
  • She smelt success in her near future.
  • They smelled the ocean breeze from their balcony.
  • The room had smelled of fresh paint for days.
  • He had been smelling the flowers before the ceremony.
  • I smelled rain in the air yesterday.
  • She smelt betrayal after reading the email.
  • The kids were smelling the markers out of curiosity.
  • The suspicious package was smelled by the sniffer dogs.
  • The food smelled burnt when we arrived.
  • They had smelled smoke long before the fire truck came.
  • She smelled the fresh laundry as she folded it.
  • He smelt the leather of the new car interior.
  • We smelled sulfur in the volcanic area.
  • They smelled opportunity in the market downturn.
  • I had smelled cinnamon in the kitchen.
  • She smelled the pages of the old book.
  • They were smelling new fragrances at the shop.
  • He smelt victory after scoring the goal.
  • The air smelled fresh after the storm.
  • She had smelt the flowers many times before.
  • They had been smelling the sea breeze all afternoon.
  • The gas leak was smelled by a passerby.
  • The puppy smelled everything in the house.
  • She smelt defeat in his tone.
  • We smelled barbecue from the neighbor’s yard.
  • The evidence had been smelled by the police dogs.

6.2. Complexity Levels

Basic examples:

  • I smelled smoke.
  • She smelt roses.
  • We smelled bread baking.

Intermediate examples:

  • When I entered the room, I immediately smelled smoke coming from the kitchen.
  • They had already smelt gas by the time the firefighters arrived.
  • While the children were smelling flowers, it suddenly began to rain.

Advanced examples:

  • Having smelled the gas leak earlier, the technician evacuated the building promptly.
  • Once she had smelt betrayal in his words, she no longer trusted him.
  • After the suspicious odor was smelled by the guards, the area was evacuated immediately.

6.3. Contrast with Present Tense

Table 5: Past vs. Present contrasts
Present Tense Past Tense
I smell smoke. I smelled smoke yesterday.
She smells perfume now. She smelt perfume last night.
They smell fresh bread. They smelled fresh bread this morning.
He smells something strange. He had smelled something strange before the alarm.
We are smelling the flowers. We were smelling the flowers when it started raining.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. Choosing Between “Smelled” and “Smelt”

Regional preferences:

  • American English: “smelled” is standard;
  • British English: both forms are acceptable; “smelt” is slightly more common.

In formal writing or international contexts, “smelled” is often safer.

Both forms are grammatically correct, but avoid mixing them in the same text for consistency.

7.2. Agreement and Verb Consistency

Ensure subject-verb agreement:

  • Correct: He smelled smoke.
  • Incorrect: He smell smoke.

When narrating, maintain consistent tense:

  • Correct: He smelt the roses and smiled.
  • Incorrect: He smelt the roses and smiles.

7.3. Contextual Cues for Past Tense

Look for time markers like:

  • Yesterday (e.g., I smelled smoke yesterday.)
  • Last night (e.g., She smelt perfume last night.)
  • Earlier (e.g., They had smelled gas earlier.)

7.4. Exceptions and Special Notes

  • Some idioms favor one form:
    • “smelled fishy” (AmE more common)
    • “smelt a rat” (BrE more common)
  • As a linking verb (“The room smelled fresh.”), past tense is smelled/smelt:
    • The room smelled fresh after cleaning.
    • The room smelt fresh after cleaning.
  • Figurative uses:
    • She smelled trouble coming.
    • He smelt a rat in their story.

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Confusing “Smelled” with Other Tenses

  • Incorrect: I smell smoke yesterday.
  • Correct: I smelled smoke yesterday.

8.2. Mixing Past and Present Forms

  • Incorrect: He smelt the flowers and smiles.
  • Correct: He smelt the flowers and smiled.

8.3. Using “Smelt” Incorrectly in American English

In American English, prefer “smelled” in formal writing and speech.

8.4. Spelling Errors

  • Incorrect: smelleded
  • Incorrect: smelted (actually means to extract metal from ore)
  • Correct past tense: smelled or smelt

8.5. Incorrect Use of Passive Forms

  • Incorrect: The gas was smell by the workers.
  • Correct: The gas was smelled by the workers.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank

Sentence
1. Yesterday, I ________ fresh bread in the kitchen.
2. They had already ________ gas before the alarm went off.
3. While we were ________, the rain started.
4. She ________ the flowers and smiled happily.
5. The suspicious odor was ________ by the security guards.
6. When I entered, I immediately ________ something burning.
7. He ________ victory after scoring the goal.
8. The puppy had been ________ everything in the garden.
9. We ________ fresh paint when we moved in.
10. The children ________ different perfumes at the store.

Answers:

  1. smelled/smelt
  2. smelled/smelt
  3. smelling
  4. smelled/smelt
  5. smelled/smelt
  6. smelled/smelt
  7. smelled/smelt
  8. smelling
  9. smelled/smelt
  10. smelled/smelt

9.2. Error Correction

Incorrect Sentence
1. She smell flowers yesterday.
2. He smelt the cake and smiles.
3. The gas was smell by the workers.
4. I have smelted that perfume before.
5. They smelling roses last weekend.
6. She had smell smoke before the alarm.
7. He smelted something strange in the air.
8. The suspicious odor was smell by the dog.
9. We was smelling the spices when it rained.
10. She had been smell the flowers for an hour.

Corrections:

  1. She smelled/smelt flowers yesterday.
  2. He smelt the cake and smiled.
  3. The gas was smelled by the workers.
  4. I have smelled/smelt that perfume before.
  5. They were smelling roses last weekend.
  6. She had smelled/smelt smoke before the alarm.
  7. He smelled/smelt something strange in the air.
  8. The suspicious odor was smelled by the dog.
  9. We were smelling the spices when it rained.
  10. She had been smelling the flowers for an hour.

9.3. Identify the Tense

For each sentence, identify the tense:

  1. He smelled smoke yesterday. — Simple Past
  2. They were smelling the flowers. — Past Continuous
  3. She had smelled gas before the accident. — Past Perfect
  4. We had been smelling the aroma for hours. — Past Perfect Continuous
  5. The odor was smelled by the inspector. — Simple Past Passive

9.4. Sentence Construction

Prompts:

  • Describe smelling a flower (simple past).
  • Describe an ongoing action of smelling spices (past continuous).
  • Describe having smelled gas before an event (past perfect).
  • Describe someone smelling barbecue for hours (past perfect continuous).
  • Describe a suspicious odor detected passively (passive voice).

Sample answers:

  • I smelled a beautiful flower in the garden yesterday.
  • They were smelling spices when the shopkeeper arrived.
  • She had smelled gas before the alarm sounded.
  • He had been smelling barbecue all afternoon before dinner.
  • The suspicious odor was smelled by the security guard.

9.5. Multiple Choice

Select the correct form:

  1. Yesterday, I (smell / smelled / smelling) smoke.
  2. She (has smelled / had smelled / smelling) gas before the explosion.
  3. They (were smelling / was smelling / smelling) the flowers when it rained.
  4. The odor was (smell / smelled / smelling) by the inspector.
  5. He (smelted / smelt / smelled) something strange in the air.

Answers:

  1. smelled
  2. had smelled
  3. were smelling
  4. smelled
  5. smelt / smelled

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Figurative and Idiomatic Uses in Past Tense

“Smell” often appears in idioms or figurative expressions:

  • “smelled trouble” – sensed danger or problems
  • “smelt a rat” (BrE) – suspected something dishonest
  • “smelled fishy” – thought something was suspicious

Examples:

  • She smelled trouble and decided to leave.
  • The detective smelt a rat in his story.
  • They smelled something fishy about the deal.

10.2. Corpus Evidence and Frequency

In modern English corpora:

  • American English: “smelled” is overwhelmingly more common.
  • British English: both “smelled” and “smelt” appear, with “smelt” somewhat preferred in informal speech.
  • Australian English: similar to British usage.
Table 6: Snapshot of corpus frequencies
Dialect “smelled” frequency “smelt” frequency
American English High Low
British English Moderate Moderate to High
Australian English Moderate Moderate

10.3. Historical Evolution of the Forms

Historically, “smell” was an irregular verb with past tense “smelt” following a common pattern (like “felt,” “dealt”).

Over time, especially in American English, there has been a trend toward regularization (adding -ed).

Both forms persist, but “smelled” is becoming more globally dominant.

10.4. Register and Formality

In formal writing (business, academic), “smelled” is safer and more accepted internationally.

In informal speech or creative writing, either form suits British or Australian audiences.

Consistency remains key.

10.5. Cross-linguistic Considerations

  • Speakers of languages with only regular verbs may overuse “smelled.”
  • Languages with no irregular pattern may cause confusion in perfect tense forms.
  • False friends: “smelted” is a different verb meaning metal extraction.
  • Practice helps avoid transfer errors.

11. FAQ Section

  1. What is the correct past tense of “smell”?
    Both “smelled” and “smelt” are correct. “Smelled” is preferred in American English; both are standard in British English.
  2. Is “smelt” incorrect in American English?
    It’s not incorrect, but it is rare and informal. Use “smelled” in American contexts, especially in formal writing.
  3. Can I use both “smelled” and “smelt” interchangeably?
    Yes, grammatically. However, be consistent and consider your audience’s regional variety.
  4. What’s the difference between the past tense and past participle of “smell”?
    They share the same forms (smelled/smelt), but past participle is used with auxiliaries (have, had, been).
  5. How do I use “have smelled” or “had smelled” correctly?
    Use with present perfect (I have smelled) or past perfect (She had smelled) to indicate completed actions relative to another time.
  6. Why does British English prefer “smelt”?
    Due to traditional irregular verb patterns and historical usage.
  7. Are there other verbs like “smell” with two past forms?
    Yes, such as learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt, burned/burnt.
  8. How do I pronounce “smelt” and “smelled”?

    • smelled: /smɛld/
    • smelt: /smɛlt/

    Both are one syllable with similar pronunciation.

  9. Is “smelted” a form of “smell”?
    No. “Smelted” is the past tense of “smelt” meaning to extract metal from ore.
  10. Which form should I use in formal writing?
    Prefer “smelled”, especially in American English or international contexts.
  11. How can I avoid common mistakes with “smell” in past tense?
    Watch for tense consistency, avoid spelling errors (smelted ≠ past of smell), and choose regionally appropriate forms.
  12. Does using “smelt” sound old-fashioned?
    Not necessarily in British English. In American English, it can sound archaic or informal.

12. Conclusion

In summary, both “smelled” and “smelt” are correct past tense and past participle forms of “smell.” Usage depends on regional preferences, with “smelled” dominant in American English and both forms common in British English.

Focus on contextual cues, maintain tense consistency, and be aware of your audience when choosing forms. Practice through the provided exercises to solidify your understanding.

Mastering verbs like “smell” enhances your ability to describe experiences vividly and to write fluent, accurate narratives. It also deepens your grasp of English’s fascinating irregular verb system.

Continue exploring other irregular verbs to build a strong, confident command of English grammar.

Leave a Comment