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Questions & Answers about De soep smaakt naar vis.
Why do we use naar here instead of a word for 'of' or 'like'?
While naar usually means 'to' (like going to a place), it is the fixed preposition used with the verb smaken (to taste). So smaken naar translates to 'to taste of' or 'to taste like'. You will also see it used for smells, like in ruiken naar (to smell like).
Can I say smaakt als vis since als translates to 'like'?
No, when talking about what something tastes or smells like, Dutch strictly uses naar. Using als here would sound very unnatural to a Dutch speaker.
Why is there no article before vis? Shouldn't it be een vis?
Just like in English, vis is used as an uncountable noun here because it refers to the general flavor or meat of fish, not one individual whole fish swimming in the soup.