Something smells terrible. You open a window, hold your nose and ask: Wat stinkt hier? — What stinks in here?
The Dutch verb stinken means to stink or to smell bad. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use it in the present and past, with examples from our short story about Tom’s bedroom.
What does “stinken” mean?
Use stinken when something has a strong, unpleasant smell.
- De sokken stinken. — The socks stink.
- De vuilnisbak stinkt. — The rubbish bin stinks.
- Het stinkt hier. — It stinks in here.
That last sentence is particularly useful. You can say Het stinkt hier even when you don’t know what is causing the smell!
Present tense: stink, stinkt, stinken
In the present tense, stinken follows the usual Dutch conjugation pattern.
| Subject | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ik | stink | Ik stink naar zweet. |
| jij / je | stinkt | Je stinkt naar rook. |
| hij / zij / het | stinkt | De hond stinkt. |
| wij / we | stinken | We stinken naar vis. |
| jullie | stinken | Jullie stinken naar rook. |
| zij / ze | stinken | De sokken stinken. |
To say what something smells of, use stinken naar:
Je stinkt naar rook.
You stink of smoke.
Mijn schoenen stinken naar zweet.
My shoes stink of sweat.
Be careful when saying this directly to someone: Je stinkt is very blunt!
Simple past: stonk and stonken
Stinken is an irregular verb. Its vowel changes in the simple past, so you need to learn these forms:
- stonk for one person or thing;
- stonken for more than one.
| Subject | Past tense |
|---|---|
| ik / jij / hij / zij / het | stonk |
| wij / jullie / zij | stonken |
Compare the present and past:
De boterham stinkt.
The sandwich stinks.
De boterham stonk gisteren ook al.
The sandwich already stank yesterday.
De sokken stinken.
The socks stink.
De sokken stonken gisteren ook al.
The socks already stank yesterday.
The useful phrase ook al means already … too in these examples: the smell was there yesterday as well.
Perfect tense: heeft gestonken
The past participle is gestonken. Use it with hebben to form the perfect tense.
De hond heeft gestonken.
The dog has stunk.
De sokken hebben gestonken.
The socks have stunk.
Het heeft hier verschrikkelijk gestonken!
It has stunk terribly in here!
Notice how heeft or hebben changes with the subject, while gestonken stays the same.
In everyday conversation, Dutch speakers can also use the perfect tense where English would use the simple past. The most natural English translation therefore depends on the context.
Remember the forms through a story
In Wat stinkt hier?, mama follows a terrible smell into Tom’s bedroom. Tom blames the dog, but mama discovers dirty socks and an old cheese sandwich under the bed.
The conversation helps you connect each verb form to a situation:
“Deze sokken stinken!”
These socks stink!“Gisteren stonken ze ook al.”
They already stank yesterday.“Die boterham stonk vorige week al.”
That sandwich already stank last week.“Het heeft hier verschrikkelijk gestonken!”
It has stunk terribly in here!
Read these sentences aloud. Imagine the socks, the sandwich and mama’s reaction as you say them.
Stinken or ruiken?
Both verbs describe smells, but stinken specifically tells you that the smell is unpleasant. Ruiken is more general: it can describe a pleasant or unpleasant smell.
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| De bloemen ruiken lekker. | The flowers smell lovely. |
| De sokken ruiken vies. | The socks smell bad. |
| De sokken stinken. | The socks stink. |
Ruiken can also mean using your nose to smell something:
Mama ruikt aan de sokken.
Mama sniffs the socks.
De sokken stinken.
The socks stink.
Try it yourself
Complete the sentences with the correct form of stinken.
- Nu: De vuilnisbak ______.
- Gisteren: De vuilnisbak ______.
- Gisteren: Mijn schoenen ______.
- Het heeft hier verschrikkelijk ______!
Answers: 1. stinkt · 2. stonk · 3. stonken · 4. gestonken
Now make one sentence about something you have smelled. Start with Gisteren…
Remember: stinken → stonk → stonken → heeft gestonken.
