Det smaker ekkelt.

In Norwegian, det often means it. In Det smaker ekkelt, det is the thing being tasted: It tastes disgusting.

Norwegian very often uses det the same way English uses it for food, drinks, situations, weather, and general statements.

Examples:

• Det smaker godt. = It tastes good.
• Det lukter rart. = It smells strange.
• Det er kaldt. = It is cold.

If you name the thing directly, you can replace det:

• Suppen smaker ekkelt. = The soup tastes disgusting.

Smaker is the present tense of å smake, which can mean to taste.

In this sentence, it means tastes:

• Det smaker ekkelt. = It tastes disgusting.

Be careful: å smake can also sometimes mean to taste something / try a taste of something, depending on context.

Examples:

• Kaken smaker godt. = The cake tastes good.
• Kan jeg smake? = Can I taste it? / Can I try some?

So the verb can describe either:

1. how something tastes, or
2. the action of tasting something.

This is because ekkelt is the neuter / adverb-like form of the adjective ekkel.

The basic adjective is:

• ekkel = disgusting, nasty

But after verbs like er, ser, lukter, føles, and smaker, Norwegian often uses the -t form of the adjective when describing something in a general way:

• Det er ekkelt.
• Det lukter ekkelt.
• Det smaker ekkelt.

Compare:

• En ekkel lukt = a disgusting smell
• Lukten er ekkel = the smell is disgusting
• Det lukter ekkelt = it smells disgusting

So here ekkelt is the natural form after smaker.

Grammatically, it can feel that way to an English speaker, but in Norwegian this is the normal way to say tastes disgusting.

After sensory verbs such as smake, lukte, føles, and sometimes se ut, Norwegian often uses a form that looks like an adverb to English learners:

• Det smaker godt.
• Det lukter vondt.
• Det føles rart.

You should usually translate these naturally into English:

• smaker godt = tastes good
• lukter vondt = smells bad
• føles rart = feels strange

So even if ekkelt may look unusual from an English point of view, the sentence simply means It tastes disgusting.

Yes, sometimes — but it depends on what noun you are referring to.

Use:

• den for common-gender nouns
• det for neuter nouns

Examples:

• Kaka smaker ekkelt. Den smaker ekkelt.
  (kake is common gender)
• Eplet smaker ekkelt. Det smaker ekkelt.
  (eple is neuter)

But if you are just saying It tastes disgusting without naming the thing, det is the normal default choice.

Yes. Ekkel / ekkelt is often used where English would say:

• disgusting
• gross
• nasty

Which translation sounds best depends on tone and context.

Examples:

• Det er ekkelt. = It is disgusting / gross.
• Maten smaker ekkelt. = The food tastes disgusting / gross.
• For en ekkel lukt! = What a disgusting smell!

So gross is often a very natural English equivalent.

You normally put ikke after the verb:

• Det smaker ikke ekkelt. = It does not taste disgusting.

This word order is very common in Norwegian main clauses:

• subject + verb + ikke

Examples:

• Det er ikke godt.
• Han liker ikke fisk.
• Jeg forstår ikke.

Very common alternatives are:

• Det smaker godt. = It tastes good.
• Det smaker dårlig. = It tastes bad.
• Det smaker vondt. = It tastes bad / unpleasant.

A useful nuance:

• godt usually means good
• dårlig means bad / poor
• vondt often suggests something unpleasant, nasty, or wrong in a stronger sensory way

Examples:

• Kaffen smaker godt.
• Melken smaker dårlig.
• Dette smaker vondt.

Yes, it is natural and understandable.

Norwegians also often say similar things like:

• Det smaker vondt. = It tastes bad.
• Det smaker ikke godt. = It doesn’t taste good.
• Det er ekkelt. = It is disgusting.

So Det smaker ekkelt is perfectly fine, but depending on context, a speaker might choose a slightly different expression.

A simple learner-friendly guide is:

• smaker ≈ SMAH-kər

Notes:

• sm at the start is pronounced as written.
• The a is a broad vowel, somewhat like a in father for many English speakers.
• The final -er is usually not pronounced like strong English air; it is weaker, more like ər.

And ekkelt is roughly:

• EHK-kelt

But pronunciation varies somewhat by dialect, so exact sounds can change depending on the speaker.