Det smaker ekkelt.

It tastes disgusting.

Breakdown of Det smaker ekkelt.

• det: it
• smake: to taste
• ekkel: disgusting

Questions & Answers about Det smaker ekkelt.

Why does the sentence start with det?

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.

What does smaker mean exactly?

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.

Why is it ekkelt and not ekkel?