stinken
to stink
To give off a very strong and unpleasant smell.
EXAMPLE
Der Müll in der Tonne fängt an zu stinken.
The trash in the bin is starting to stink.
stinken
to stink
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Meanings
stinken
to stink
Colloquially, in a figurative sense, used to express that a situation or behavior is extremely annoying, unfair, or morally objectionable.
EXAMPLE
Es stinkt mir, dass ich schon wieder am Wochenende arbeiten muss.
It stinks that I have to work on the weekend again.
stinken vor
to be filthy rich
In the fixed expression 'vor etwas stinken' (to stink of something), usually 'vor Geld stinken' (to stink of money), it means to have an excessive amount of something, especially to be very rich.
EXAMPLE
Seit dem Lottogewinn stinkt er förmlich vor Geld.
Since winning the lottery, he is practically filthy rich.
Usage tips
Strong verb
'Stinken' (to stink) is a strong verb. The past forms are 'stank' in the simple past and 'hat gestunken' in the present perfect.
EXAMPLE
Der Fisch von letzter Woche hat furchtbar gestunken.
The fish from last week stank terribly.
Register
The figurative meaning, where a situation 'stinkt' (stinks) to someone or someone 'vor Geld stinkt' (is filthy rich), belongs to colloquial language and should be avoided in formal contexts.
EXAMPLE
Mir stinkt diese ganze Bürokratie gewaltig!
All this bureaucracy really stinks!
Sentence structure with 'nach'
To name the source of a bad smell, the preposition 'nach' is used followed by the dative. The subject is often the impersonal 'es'.
EXAMPLE
Hier stinkt es nach altem Käse.
It stinks of old cheese in here.
Dative construction
In the colloquial meaning 'to be annoyed', a fixed structure is used: 'Es stinkt' + person in the dative + subordinate clause with 'dass' or 'zu'.
EXAMPLE
Ihm stinkt es, dass er nie für seine Arbeit gelobt wird.
It stinks to him that he is never praised for his work.
Fixed expression
The expression 'stinken vor' is used almost exclusively in the combination 'vor Geld stinken' (to be filthy rich), to describe extreme wealth in a disparaging or envious way.
EXAMPLE
Seit er im Lotto gewonnen hat, stinkt er vor Geld.
Since he won the lottery, he has been filthy rich.
Compare with
stinken vs riechen
to smell
Riechen and stinken can both express that a smell is perceived or given off. Riechen is neutral in value and can describe something pleasant, unpleasant, or simply unspecified. Stinken, by contrast, refers to a very strong and unpleasant smell.
stinken
Im Zimmer stinkt der volle Mülleimer.
The full trash can stinks in the room.
riechen
Im Zimmer riecht es nach frischem Kaffee.
The room smells of fresh coffee.
In real life
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