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
die Schweinerei, die Schweinereien
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Meanings
die Schweinerei
outrage
An indecent, unfair, or scandalous action or situation.
EXAMPLE
Es ist eine Schweinerei, dass die Preise schon wieder erhöht wurden.
It's an outrage that the prices have been raised yet again.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Schweinerei, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Schweinereien |
| genitive | der Schweinerei |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Schweinerei | die Schweinereien |
| accusative | die Schweinerei | die Schweinereien |
| dative | der Schweinerei | den Schweinereien |
| genitive | der Schweinerei | der Schweinereien |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
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 Sauerei
mess / outrage
Sauerei and Schweinerei can both refer to a very big mess or to an outrageous act, and they are often interchangeable. Sauerei is especially suitable as a general colloquial complaint. Schweinerei can emphasize moral outrage or the extent of the mess more strongly, but the distinction is not fixed.
Schweinerei
Nach der Feier nennt Mia die absichtliche Verschmutzung der Küche eine Schweinerei.
After the party, Mia called the deliberate soiling of the kitchen an outrage.
Sauerei
Nach der Feier nennt Mia das klebrige Durcheinander in der Küche eine Sauerei.
After the party, Mia called the sticky mess in the kitchen a real mess.
In real life
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