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apestar

ah-peh-STAR/apesˈtaɾ/

“apestar” means “to stink” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

to stink

Also: to reek
VerbA2regular ar
A green garbage bag sitting on a clean floor with visible green wavy lines rising from it to represent a bad smell.
gerundapestando
past Participleapestado
infinitiveapestar

📝 In Action

La basura apesta porque no la sacaste ayer.

A2

The trash stinks because you didn't take it out yesterday.

Toda la cocina apesta a pescado frito.

B1

The whole kitchen reeks of fried fish.

Después de correr el maratón, mi ropa apestaba a sudor.

B1

After running the marathon, my clothes stank of sweat.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • heder (to stink (stronger))
  • oler mal (to smell bad)

Antonyms

  • perfumar (to scent)
  • oler bien (to smell good)

Common Collocations

  • apestar a podrido – to stink of something rotten
  • apestar a rayos – to stink horribly

to suck

Also: to be awful
VerbB1regular arinformal
A sad-looking ice cream cone dropped upside down on the sidewalk.
gerundapestando
past Participleapestado
infinitiveapestar

📝 In Action

Esta película apesta, vámonos del cine.

B1

This movie sucks, let's leave the theater.

Mi conexión a internet apesta hoy.

B1

My internet connection is awful today.

Tener que trabajar los domingos apesta.

B2

Having to work on Sundays sucks.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • ser una basura (to be trash)
  • ser malísimo (to be very bad)

Antonyms

  • molar (to be cool/to be great)
  • ser genial (to be great)

Common Collocations

  • esto apesta – this sucks
  • tu actitud apesta – your attitude is terrible

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesapestaran
yoapestara
túapestaras
vosotrosapestarais
nosotrosapestáramos
él/ella/ustedapestara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesapesten
yoapeste
túapestes
vosotrosapestéis
nosotrosapestemos
él/ella/ustedapeste

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesapestaron
yoapesté
túapestaste
vosotrosapestasteis
nosotrosapestamos
él/ella/ustedapestó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesapestaban
yoapestaba
túapestabas
vosotrosapestabais
nosotrosapestábamos
él/ella/ustedapestaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesapestan
yoapesto
túapestas
vosotrosapestáis
nosotrosapestamos
él/ella/ustedapesta
View All Tenses & Moods →

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "apestar" in Spanish:

to stink→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: apestar

Question 1 of 3

How do you say 'It stinks of garlic'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
peste(stench / plague) — Noun
apestoso(stinky / smelly) — Adjective
apestado(shunned person / plague victim) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Spanish noun 'peste' (plague/stench), which comes from the Latin 'pestis' (a deadly disease or plague).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: pestilenceFrench: pester

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'apestar' a rude word?

It is quite strong. While not a 'curse word,' it is very blunt. If you want to be more polite, you might say 'huele mal' (it smells bad).

Does it have any stem changes in the present tense?

No, it is a completely regular -ar verb. The 'e' stays an 'e' throughout the whole conjugation.

Can I use 'apestar' for people?

Yes, but be careful! Saying 'apestas' means 'you stink' (literally) or 'you are terrible' (figuratively). It is very offensive to say to someone's face unless you are joking with close friends.