How to Say "foul-smelling" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “foul-smelling” is “apestoso” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Lávate los pies, están apestosos.
Wash your feet; they are stinky.
Sacamos la basura porque el cuarto estaba apestoso.
We took out the trash because the room was smelly.
Había un animal muerto y el aire era apestoso.
There was a dead animal and the air was foul-smelling.
Matching Gender and Number
Remember to change the ending to match what you are describing. Use 'apestoso' for a boy or masculine thing, 'apestosa' for a girl or feminine thing, and add an 's' for more than one (apestosos/apestosas).
Using with 'Estar'
We usually use this word with 'estar' because smells are often temporary. For example, 'El perro está apestoso' means the dog is stinky right now because he played in the mud.
Confusing with 'apestar'
Mistake: “La basura es apestar.”
Correction: La basura está apestosa (The trash is stinky) or La basura apesta (The trash stinks).
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