du stinkst
The English phrase "you stink" is translated into German as du stinkst.
This phrase is used to tell someone that their body or breath has an unpleasant smell. If you want to specify what the person smells like, use the preposition nach followed by the noun in the accusative case, as in nach etwas stinken (to stink of something).
Which one should you use?
While Du stinkst is a blunt and often insulting way to tell someone they have an unpleasant odor, the phrase Du riechst schlecht is a slightly more polite or descriptive way to say someone smells bad.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase du stinkst uses the informal singular du and the second-person singular conjugation of the verb stinken. To address a group of people informally, use ihr stinkt. For formal situations, use the pronoun Sie with the plural verb form stinken.
Did you know?
- In German, stinken is often used metaphorically to describe a suspicious situation, such as die Sache stinkt, meaning 'something smells fishy'.
- German has a specific noun Muff to describe the stale, musty smell of an old room, which is different from the active stinking of stinken.
- The word du shares a common ancestor with the archaic English word 'thou', meaning both once served as the standard informal second-person singular pronoun.
Examples in context
- Du stinkst nach Zigaretten.You stink of cigarettes.This example shows how to specify the source of the smell using du stinkst.Tatoeba #2591539 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2571244 by Eldad
- Du stinkst.You stink.This is a simple way to state that someone has an unpleasant odor using du stinkst.Tatoeba #4942993 by Hans_Adler, translation #4834656 by shekitten
- Du stinkst!You stink!This is an emphatic way to state that someone has an unpleasant odor using du stinkst.Tatoeba #12537154 by Augustus, translation #13187640 by atitarev
- Entschuldigen Sie, aber Sie stinken ein bisschen.Excuse me, but you smell a bit.
- Alter, du stinkst wie ein toter Fisch!Dude, you stink like a dead fish!
Example conversation
Sarah notices Felix has been sweating at the gym.
- SarahFelix, du stinkst wirklich sehr!Felix, you really stink!
- FelixOh nein, ich habe vergessen zu duschen.Oh no, I forgot to shower.
- SarahGeh bitte schnell ins Bad.Please go to the bathroom quickly.
- FelixDu hast recht, ich gehe sofort.You are right, I am going right now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
