How to Say "to stink" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “to stink” is “apestar” — A2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA2
verbA2
giving off a bad smell
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.
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