How to Say "to reek" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to reek” is “apestar” — use 'apestar' when the smell is powerfully bad, indicating something is rotten or very unpleasant.
apestar
ah-peh-STARapesˈtaɾ
Examples
La basura apesta porque no la sacaste ayer.
The trash stinks because you didn't take it out yesterday.
Toda la cocina apesta a pescado frito.
The whole kitchen reeks of fried fish.
Después de correr el maratón, mi ropa apestaba a sudor.
After running the marathon, my clothes stank of sweat.
Describing the smell
When you want to say something 'stinks of' something else, always use the word 'a' (apesta a...).
Simple conjugation
This is a regular -ar verb, meaning it follows the same pattern as words like 'hablar' or 'cantar'.
Wrong connector
Mistake: “Apesta con pescado.”
Correction: Apesta a pescado. Use 'a' to indicate what the smell reminds you of.
oler
oh-LEHRoˈleɾ
Examples
¡Qué mal huele aquí!
It smells so bad here!
¡Qué bien huele este café!
This coffee smells so good!
La ropa huele a limpio después de lavarla.
The clothes smell clean after washing them.
¿A qué huele aquí? ¿A quemado?
What does it smell like in here? Burnt?
The 'A' Connector
When describing what something smells like, Spanish uses the preposition 'a' (to/at): 'Huele a lavanda' (It smells like lavender).
The H-Addition (Irregularity)
In the present tenses (like 'yo,' 'tú,' 'él/ella,' 'ellos/ellas'), the verb changes from 'o' to 'ue' and adds an 'h' at the beginning: 'huelo' (I smell). This 'h' is silent!
Forgetting the 'H'
Mistake: “Using 'uelo' instead of 'huelo'.”
Correction: Always remember the silent 'h' in the stressed forms: 'huelo.' It's a special spelling rule for this verb.
Apestar vs. Oler for Bad Smells
Related Translations
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