Breakdown of Questa caramella sa di menta e aglio!
e
and
questo
this (masculine)
la caramella
the candy
l'aglio
the garlic (m)
sapere di
to taste like / smell like
la menta
the mint
Questions & Answers about Questa caramella sa di menta e aglio!
I learned that sapere means "to know". How does it mean "tastes like" here?
While sapere usually means "to know a fact", when it is followed by the preposition di and a noun, it means "to taste of" or "to smell of" that noun. Here, sa di is used to introduce the flavors the candy has.
Since sapere di can mean both "to taste like" and "to smell like", how do we know which one it is here?
Why don't we use the definite article for the flavors, like della menta e dell'aglio?
When describing a general flavor or scent with sapere di, you use the simple preposition di without the definite article. You would only use an combined preposition (like della or dell') if you were referring to a specific, previously mentioned ingredient, such as sa dell'aglio che hai comprato (it tastes like the garlic you bought).
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