ты воняешь
ty vonyaesh'
The English phrase "you stink" is translated into Russian as ты воняешь (ty vonyaesh').
This phrase is used to tell someone that they have an unpleasant body odor.
Which one should you use?
The verb used here is much stronger and more offensive than the phrase пахнуть плохо, which simply means "to smell bad".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ты воняешь is the informal version used when addressing one person. For a formal tone or when addressing more than one person, use вы воняете. In colloquial speech, speakers also use the phrase от тебя несёт to imply a strong, pungent odor.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the form ты воняешь, the verb is in the second-person singular, used for one person informally. To address multiple people or to use a formal tone, use the form вы воняете.
How do you pronounce it?
ty vonyaesh'
Did you know?
- In Russian slang, the word вонялка is used to describe an air freshener or a scented object, creating a sarcastic contrast with the root word for 'stink'.
- The word 'ты' is a cognate of the English word 'thou', both tracing back to the same Proto-Indo-European roots for the second-person singular pronoun.
- If you want to be even more insulting, one might use the word смердеть, which implies a smell so foul it is associated with death or corpses.
Examples in context
- Ты воняешь.You stink.This is a simple statement of the fact.Tatoeba #4837116 by Balamax, translation #4834656 by shekitten
- Ты воняешь!You stink!This is an emphatic way to say the same thing.Tatoeba #13187634 by atitarev, translation #13187640 by atitarev
- Извините, но вы воняете куревом.I'm sorry, but you smell like smoke.
- Отойди, ты воняешь.Otoydi, ty vonyayesh'.Move away, you stink.
Example conversation
Sergey just finished working in the garden and enters the house.
- Мария MariaСергей, ты воняешь!Sergey, ty vonyayesh'!Sergey, you stink!
- Сергей SergeyИзвини, я только с улицы.Izvini, ya tol'ko s ulitsy.Sorry, I just came from outside.
- Мария MariaИди скорее в душ.Idi skoreye v dush.Go take a shower quickly.
- Сергей SergeyХорошо, я сейчас.Khorosho, ya seychas.Okay, I'm on it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ты, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
