duften
to smell fragrant
To give off a pleasant, fragrant smell.
EXAMPLE
Im Frühling duften die Blumen im ganzen Garten.
In spring, the flowers smell fragrant throughout the whole garden.
duften
to smell fragrant / be great
duften – duftete – hat geduftet
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
duften
great
Colloquial for being great, excellent, or super. Often considered somewhat dated.
EXAMPLE
Die Idee finde ich dufte!
I think the idea is great!
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry duften, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
Present
| ich | dufte |
|---|---|
| du | duftest |
| er/sie/es | duftet |
| wir | duften |
| ihr | duftet |
| sie | duften |
Simple past
| ich | duftete |
|---|---|
| du | duftetest |
| er/sie/es | duftete |
| wir | dufteten |
| ihr | duftetet |
| sie | dufteten |
Perfect
with haben
| ich | habe geduftet |
|---|---|
| du | hast geduftet |
| er/sie/es | hat geduftet |
| wir | haben geduftet |
| ihr | habt geduftet |
| sie | haben geduftet |
Commands
| du | duft! dufte! |
|---|---|
| ihr | duftet! |
| Sie | duften Sie! |
Past perfect
| ich | hatte geduftet |
|---|---|
| du | hattest geduftet |
| er/sie/es | hatte geduftet |
| wir | hatten geduftet |
| ihr | hattet geduftet |
| sie | hatten geduftet |
Future
| ich | werde duften |
|---|---|
| du | wirst duften |
| er/sie/es | wird duften |
| wir | werden duften |
| ihr | werdet duften |
| sie | werden duften |
Subjunctive I
| ich | dufte |
|---|---|
| du | duftest |
| er/sie/es | dufte |
| wir | duften |
| ihr | duftet |
| sie | duften |
Used for reported speech.
Subjunctive II
| ich | duftete |
|---|---|
| du | duftetest |
| er/sie/es | duftete |
| wir | dufteten |
| ihr | duftetet |
| sie | dufteten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
Other forms
| infinitive | duften |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu duften |
| present participle | duftend |
| past participle | geduftet |
Usage tips
Word family
The verb 'duften' (to smell fragrant) is directly related to the noun 'der Duft' (a pleasant smell/fragrance). When something 'duftet' (smells fragrant), it gives off a 'Duft' (fragrance).
EXAMPLE
Der Duft von frisch gebackenem Brot ist herrlich.
The smell of freshly baked bread is wonderful.
Sentence structure with 'nach'
To describe what something smells like, you use the preposition 'nach' followed by the dative. The structure is: Etwas duftet nach etwas (something smells of/like something).
EXAMPLE
Die Seife duftet nach Lavendel.
The soap smells like lavender.
Hier duftet es nach frisch gebrühtem Kaffee.
It smells like freshly brewed coffee here.
Register and style
The meaning 'großartig' (great) or 'super' is colloquial and is used rather rarely today. It can sound a bit old-fashioned, but it is still sometimes used ironically.
EXAMPLE
Ein Ausflug ans Meer? Das finde ich eine dufte Idee!
A trip to the sea? I think that's a great idea!
Context clue
You can easily distinguish the two meanings: if the subject is something that can have a smell, such as food or flowers, the meaning is about scent. If the subject is a person, idea, or thing being evaluated, the colloquial meaning 'toll' (great) is meant.
EXAMPLE
Der Kuchen in der Küche duftet wunderbar.
The cake in the kitchen smells wonderful.
Dein neuer Pullover ist echt dufte!
Your new sweater is really great!
Compare with
duften vs riechen
to smell
Riechen and duften can both describe a smell that is perceived or that comes from something. Riechen does not initially evaluate the smell. Duften, by contrast, shows that the smell is perceived as pleasant and fragrant.
duften
Der Kaffee duftet durch die ganze Küche.
The coffee’s fragrance fills the entire kitchen.
riechen
Der Kaffee riecht nach frisch gemahlenen Bohnen.
The coffee smells of freshly ground beans.
In real life
Loading video examples...