01
die Schweinerei
mess
A state of great disorder, dirt, or filth.
example
Wer hat diese Schweinerei in der Küche hinterlassen?
Who left this mess in the kitchen?
die Schweinerei
mess / outrage
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word structure
The word is made up of 'Schwein' (pig) and the ending '-erei'. The ending '-erei' often describes a negative action or state. A 'Schweinerei' is therefore literally a 'thing like from pigs' — messy or unfair.
EXAMPLE
Nach der Party sah das Wohnzimmer wie nach einer riesigen Schweinerei aus.
After the party, the living room looked like a huge mess had happened.
Register: colloquial
'Schweinerei' is a strongly colloquial and emotional word. It expresses anger or disgust and is avoided in formal or neutral contexts.
EXAMPLE
Was für eine Schweinerei! Jemand hat seinen Müll einfach hier hingeworfen.
What a mess! Someone just threw their trash here.
Typical verbs
In connection with dirt and disorder, 'Schweinerei' is often used with the verbs 'machen' (to make), 'hinterlassen' (to leave behind), or 'aufräumen' (to clean up).
EXAMPLE
Bitte räum deine Schweinerei auf, bevor du gehst!
Please clean up your mess before you leave!
Use as an exclamation
To express outrage about an unfair action, the word is often used as an exclamation, e.g. 'Das ist eine Schweinerei!' (That's an outrage!). The structure 'Es ist eine Schweinerei, dass ...' (It's an outrage that ...) is also very common.
EXAMPLE
Es ist eine absolute Schweinerei, dass die Renten nicht erhöht werden.
It's an absolute outrage that pensions are not being raised.
Compare with
Schweinerei vs Chaos
chaos
'das Chaos' and 'die Schweinerei' can both describe a very unpleasant situation. 'Chaos' is mainly about disorder, mess, or confusion. 'Schweinerei' sounds more judgmental: you are annoyed about it because something is dirty, unfair, or scandalous. If a room is untidy, you can speak of 'Chaos'. If there is also dirt, or someone has behaved badly, 'Schweinerei' fits better.
Schweinerei
Dass der Vermieter die Heizung im Winter nicht repariert, ist eine echte Schweinerei.
The fact that the landlord doesn't repair the heating in winter is a real outrage.
Chaos
Im Büro entstand Chaos, weil drei Termine gleichzeitig verschoben wurden.
Chaos broke out in the office because three appointments were rescheduled at the same time.
In real life
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