Learn Arabic › B1 › شَمّ
شَمّ
to smell /ˈʃamːa/
verbB1#1809 most common
Also: to sniff, to scent, to catch a whiff of
Example sentences
شَمَّ الوَرْدَة.
He smelled the rose.
أَنا أَشُمُّ رائِحَةً جَميلَة.
I smell a nice scent.
شَمَّتِ القِطَّةُ الطَّعامَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَأْكُلَهُ.
The cat sniffed the food before eating it.
حينَ دَخَلْنا المَطْبَخَ، شَمَمْنا رائِحَةَ الخُبْزِ الطّازَج.
When we entered the kitchen, we smelled the fresh bread.
لا تَشُمَّ هذا الدَّواءَ، فَرائِحَتُهُ قَدْ تُسَبِّبُ لَكَ الدُّوارَ.
Do not smell this medicine, as its odor may make you dizzy.
ما إِنْ شَمَّ التّاجِرُ رائِحَةَ الرِّبْحِ حَتّى غَيَّرَ مَوْقِفَهُ كُلَّهُ.
The moment the merchant smelled a profit, he changed his whole stance.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَشُمُّ | شَمَمْتُ | سَأَشُمُّ |
| 2sg | تَشُمُّ | شَمَمْتَ | سَتَشُمُّ |
| 3sg | يَشُمُّ | شَمَّ | سَيَشُمُّ |
| 1pl | نَشُمُّ | شَمَمْنا | سَنَشُمُّ |
| 2pl | تَشُمّونَ | شَمَمْتُمْ | سَتَشُمّونَ |
| 3pl | يَشُمّونَ | شَمّوا | سَيَشُمّونَ |
Word family
شَمّthe act of smelling
شَميمfragrance, scent
شَمّامmuskmelon
مَشْمومsmelled, scented
أَشَمّhigh-nosed, proud
Etymology
The verb comes from the triliteral root sh-m-m, which carries the core sense of perceiving odor. The same root yields the noun shamm, the act of smelling, and related words for the nose and for haughtiness, the figure of holding one's nose up. The root is well attested across the Semitic languages.
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