apestas
/apestas/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "you smell" is apestas.
This phrase is used specifically to tell someone that they have a strong and unpleasant body odor. Unlike the English phrase "you smell", which can sometimes be neutral, the Spanish apestas is inherently negative and always implies a foul odor.
Which one should you use?
While apestas is a direct and blunt way to describe a bad smell, you can use the phrase hueles mal to be slightly less blunt when telling someone they have an unpleasant odor.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the second-person plural form apestáis is used to say "you all smell". In Latin America, the form apestan is used for the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
apestas is the informal singular tú conjugation of the verb apestar. The other forms follow the second-person plural conjugations: apestáis for vosotros and apestan for ustedes.
How do you pronounce it?
/apestas/
Did you know?
- The word apestar shares a root with peste, which refers to a plague or pestilence. To say apestas is linguistically akin to saying someone smells like a disease-ridden epidemic.
- While apestas means 'you smell' in a literal sense, it is used as a slang expression to tell someone they are terrible at a game or skill, mirroring the English 'you suck'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, using apestas is considered a much harsher social insult than saying 'you smell' in English, often bordering on a direct personal attack.
Examples in context
- Apestas.You smell.This sentence is useful for stating directly that someone has a bad odor using the form apestas.Tatoeba #8844653 by Sabir, translation #10610451 by DJ_Saidez
- Usted huele mal, ¿puede comprobar si algo se ha descompuesto?You smell bad, can you check if something has gone bad?
- ¡Apestas después de correr!You smell after running!
- No te acerques, apestas mucho.Don't come close, you smell a lot.
Example conversation
In a gym locker room.
- ElenaAlejandro, no te acerques a mí.Alejandro, don't come near me.
- Alejandro¿Por qué? ¿Qué pasa, Elena?Why? What's wrong, Elena?
- ElenaEs que apestas mucho.It's just that you smell a lot.
- AlejandroLo siento, necesito una ducha.I'm sorry, I need a shower.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
