Apestar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

apestar means “to stink” in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Apestar means to stink, to smell very bad. It is used for rubbish, fish, smoke and drains, and it is fully regular. It is informal and direct, so it suits complaints rather than polite conversation. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by tense, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of apestar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the apestar present tense page.

apestar in everyday use: examples with translations

In the present tense

  1. Yo apesto a pescado en la cocina. — “I stink of fish in the kitchen.”
  2. Él apesta a humo después del incendio. — “He stinks of smoke after the fire.”
  3. Nosotros apestamos en el baño por la tubería. — “We stink in the bathroom because of the pipe.”
  4. Ellos apestan a basura en verano. — “They stink of rubbish in summer.”

In the past

  1. Ayer, yo apesté a humo después del incendio. — “Yesterday, I stank of smoke after the fire.”
  2. Antes, nosotros apestábamos en el baño por la tubería. — “Before, we used to stink in the bathroom because of the pipe.”
  3. Él apestó a basura en verano. — “He stank of rubbish in summer.”
  4. Yo ya había apestado a pescado en la cocina antes de salir. — “I had already stunk of fish in the kitchen before leaving.”

Plans, hopes and possibilities

  1. Mañana, tú apestarás a pescado en la cocina. — “Tomorrow, you will stink of fish in the kitchen.”
  2. Yo apestaría a humo después del incendio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would stink of smoke after the fire if I had more time.”
  3. Él ha apestado en el baño por la tubería. — “He has stunk in the bathroom because of the pipe.”
  4. Espero que él apeste a basura en verano. — “I hope he stinks of rubbish in summer.”

apestar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use apestar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about their day.

  • Ana: Yo apesto a pescado en la cocina. — “I stink of fish in the kitchen.”
  • Bea: Él apesta a humo después del incendio. — “He stinks of smoke after the fire.”
  • Ana: Ayer, yo apesté a humo después del incendio. — “Yesterday, I stank of smoke after the fire.”
  • Bea: Mañana, tú apestarás a pescado en la cocina. — “Tomorrow, you will stink of fish in the kitchen.”

At home, talking about tomorrow.

  • Luis: Nosotros apestamos en el baño por la tubería. — “We stink in the bathroom because of the pipe.”
  • Marta: Antes, nosotros apestábamos en el baño por la tubería. — “Before, we used to stink in the bathroom because of the pipe.”
  • Luis: Yo apestaría a humo después del incendio si tuviera más tiempo. — “I would stink of smoke after the fire if I had more time.”
  • Marta: Espero que él apeste a basura en verano. — “I hope he stinks of rubbish in summer.”

A short scene with apestar

A short scene shows how apestar works across the day. In the morning: Apesto a pescado en la cocina. In the afternoon: Apesta a humo después del incendio. Yesterday it was different: Ayer, apesté en el baño por la tubería. And tomorrow: Mañana, apestaré a basura en verano. Four small moments, four tenses, one verb — that is how apestar sounds in real life. Try changing the person in each sentence: say it about yourself, about a friend, and about your family, and the forms will start to feel automatic.

Common mistakes with apestar

The errors learners actually make with apestar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ Yo apesta a pescado en la cocina.

✓ Correct: Yo apesto a pescado en la cocina.

The person matters: apesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.

✗ Ayer yo apesto a humo después del incendio.

✓ Correct: Ayer yo apesté a humo después del incendio.

The present and the preterite are different tenses: apesto is happening now, while apesté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.

✗ Treating apestar and oler as identical in every context.

✓ Correct: Apestar means to stink, while oler means to smell.

They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apestar fits sentences such as Apesto a pescado en la cocina, while oler belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.

✗ Yo soy apestado a humo después del incendio.

✓ Correct: Yo he apestado a humo después del incendio.

Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apestado, has apestado, ha apestado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.

✗ De niño, yo apesté en el baño por la tubería todos los días.

✓ Correct: De niño, yo apestaba en el baño por la tubería todos los días.

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apestaba), not the preterite. The preterite (apesté) is for one finished action.

Quiz: apestar in use

Ten questions on apestar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a humo después del incendio. — “He/she stinks of smoke after the fire.”

  • a) apesta
  • b) apesto
  • c) apestas
  • d) apestamos

2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ en el baño por la tubería. — “Yesterday, I stank in the bathroom because of the pipe.”

  • a) apestaste
  • b) apestó
  • c) apestaron
  • d) apesté

3. Complete the sentence: Ellos ______ a basura en verano cuando eran jóvenes. — “They used to stink of rubbish in summer when they were young.”

  • a) apestabas
  • b) apestábamos
  • c) apestaban
  • d) apestaba

4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, nosotros ______ a pescado en la cocina. — “Tomorrow, we will stink of fish in the kitchen.”

  • a) apestarán
  • b) apestaremos
  • c) apestaré
  • d) apestarás

5. Complete the sentence: Él ______ a humo después del incendio si pudiera. — “He would stink of smoke after the fire if he could.”

  • a) apestaría
  • b) apestarías
  • c) apestaríamos
  • d) apesto

6. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ en el baño por la tubería. — “I have stunk in the bathroom because of the pipe.”

  • a) has apestado
  • b) ha apestado
  • c) han apestado
  • d) he apestado

7. Complete the sentence: Espero que tú ______ a basura en verano. — “I hope you stink of rubbish in summer.”

  • a) apestemos
  • b) apesto
  • c) apestes
  • d) apeste

8. Which is the past participle of apestar, used with haber in the perfect tenses?

  • a) apesté
  • b) apestado
  • c) apestando
  • d) apesto

9. What does apestar mean in English?

  • a) to stink
  • b) to smell
  • c) to clean, to tidy (oneself)
  • d) to settle, to establish

10. Which sentence is correct?

  • a) Él apesta a humo después del incendio.
  • b) Él apesto a humo después del incendio.
  • c) Nosotros apesta en el baño por la tubería.
  • d) Yo apesta a pescado en la cocina.

Answer key

  1. a) apesta — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the present: apesta.

  2. d) apesté — The sentence needs the yo form in the preterite: apesté, for one finished action yesterday.

  3. c) apestaban — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas form in the imperfect: apestaban, for a repeated past habit.

  4. b) apestaremos — The sentence needs the nosotros form in the future: apestaremos.

  5. a) apestaría — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form in the conditional: apestaría.

  6. d) he apestado — The sentence needs the yo form in the present perfect: he apestado, haber + apestado.

  7. c) apestes — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the tú present subjunctive is apestes.

  8. b) apestado — The past participle is apestado: he apestado, has apestado, ha apestado. The gerund apestando is used with estar instead.

  9. a) to stink — apestar means to stink. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

  10. a) Él apesta a humo después del incendio. — Él apesta a humo después del incendio. is correct: the verb agrees with its subject. The other sentences mix up the person and the form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use apestar in everyday conversation?

Start with the phrases in the examples above — especially the common combinations such as Apesto a pescado en la cocina and Apesta a humo después del incendio. Use the present tense for habits and general facts, and the preterite for things that happened once. Say the sentences aloud until the forms feel automatic, then swap in your own details: your own town, your own family, your own routine.

What is the difference between apestar and oler?

Apestar means “to stink”, while oler means “to smell”. They are related words that learners often meet together, but they are not interchangeable — use apestar when you mean “to stink” and oler when you mean “to smell”.

Which tense do I need most with apestar?

The present tense, for habits, routines and general facts — that is where you will use apestar most. The preterite comes next, for things that happened once and ended. The examples on this page use both, plus the imperfect, the future and the present perfect, so you can see the verb across the tenses you actually need.

Is apestar formal or informal?

Apestar is neutral — it is used in both formal and informal Spanish, at home, at work and at school. There is no special formal version of it; the same forms work in a conversation with a friend and in a letter to a company. What changes is the situation, not the verb.

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