Five senses in Spanish

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, April 3, 2025

Human beings perceive the world through the five senses. Each one of them helps us to understand and relate to our environment. For this reason, it is vital that you know what the five senses in Spanish are and how to use all the vocabulary related to them.

In this Enforex article we are going to describe each sense in Spanish, with examples and related words so that you can understand everything related to them.

Vista (sight)

The first sense is la vista (sight), which allows us to perceive colors, shapes and movements. We can perceive the sense of sight through our eyes, so we are able to see what surrounds us and enjoy, for example, beautiful landscapes.

Some Spanish words related to sight as one of the five senses are: ojos (eyes), luz (light), colores (colors), brillo (brightness), oscuro (dark), mirar (to look), observer (to observe), parpadear (blink), contemplar (to contemplate) or destello (flash).

Here are some examples of sentences with the sense in Spanish of sight and related vocabulary:

• Desde la ventana, veo el cielo azul y los árboles verdes (From the window, I see the blue sky and the green trees).
• El brillo del sol me ciega cuando lo miro fijamente (The brightness of the sun blinds me when I stare at it).
• ¿Te gusta observar la luz del sol? (Do you like to watch the sunlight?).
• Parpadea dos veces si lo has entendido (Blink twice if you understand).

Oído (hearing)

El oído (hearing) is another of the five senses in Spanish because it helps us perceive sounds. Through the ears we hear voices, music, traffic noise or birdsong.

The Spanish words related to hearing are orejas (ears), sonido (sound), ruido (noise), melodía (melody), susurrar (to whisper), escuchar (to listen), gritar (to shout), oír (to hear) or susurro (whisper). Although there are many more, can you think of any?

Examples:

• Me gusta escuchar música cuando viajo en metro (I like to listen to music when I ride the subway).
• Oír el ruido de las olas me relaja (Hearing the sound of the waves relaxes me).
• Estoy harta de escuchar a los vecinos discutir (I'm tired of listening to the neighbors arguing).
• Deja de hablar tan alto, me haces daño en los oídos (Stop speaking so loudly, you're hurting my ears).

Tacto (touch)

Let’s continue with el tacto (touch), which allows us to feel the texture, temperature and hardness of objects. Through the skin, we perceive whether something is soft or rough, cold or hot. This sense in Spanish is one of the most important since we can feel everything with any part of the body: the feet, the hands, the nose...

Spanish words related to touch: skin, texture, cold, hot, hard, soft, touch, caress, feel, palpate, shiver, caress.

Examples of sentences with the sense of touch:

• El peluche es muy suave al tocarlo (The teddy bear is very soft to touch).
• Siento la nariz congelada del frío que hace (My nose feels freezing cold).
• La textura de esta tela es extraña (The texture of this fabric is strange).
• Me dio un escalofrío al entrar en la casa del terror (I got a shiver when I entered the house of terror).
• Me gusta acariciar a mi gato, es muy suave (I like to pet my cat, it's very soft).

Gusto (taste)

The fourth sense in Spanish: el gusto (taste). Taste allows us to distinguish the flavors of food thanks to the tongue. We can taste sweet, salty, sour and bitter with the taste buds.

Spanish words related to the sense of taste: lengua (tongue), papilas gustatiivas (taste buds), saborear, probar or degustar (to taste), dulce (sweet), salado (salty), picante (spicy), amargo (bitter), comer (to eat) or beber (to drink).

You can use all these Spanish words in sentences like:

• Me encanta el chocolate, su sabor es dulce y delicioso (I love chocolate, its taste is sweet and delicious).
• El sabor del limón me parece muy amargo (I find the taste of lemon very bitter).
• No me gusta degustar nuevos platos (I don't like tasting new dishes).
• Prefiero no echarle picante a los platos (I prefer not to spice up dishes).

Olfato (smell)

Finally, the sense in Spanish of el olfalto (smell) helps us to perceive smells. The nose allows us to smell what surrounds us, whether they are pleasant or unpleasant smells, such as flowers, food, garbage or perfumes.

Here are some Spanish words related to smell: nariz (nose), fosas nasales (nostrils), aroma, fragancia (fragrance), perfume, esencia (scent), olor (smell), respirar (to breathe), inhalar (to inhale or sniff), apestar (to stink).

Examples with the sense in Spanish of smell:

• El aroma del café recién hecho por la mañana me encanta (The aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the morning I love).
• El olor de los pasteles recién hechos de la panadería es fantástico (The smell of freshly baked pastries from the bakery is fantastic).
• Se me hace la boca agua cuando huelo lo que cocina mi abuela (My mouth waters when I smell my grandmother's cooking).
• La basura desprende un olor putrefacto (Garbage gives off a putrid smell).

Thanks to the five senses in Spanish, we can experience thousands of sensations, smells and incredible visual spectacles. Each sense separately is essential, but when they all work together, we can experience the world more fully.

It is important to know them and use them to improve your command of Spanish, but if you want to learn more vocabulary, don't hesitate to sign up for one of our intensive Spanish courses. We help you to become a fluent speaker of the language in a short time, visit our website and some of our destinations!