Breakdown of Questo caffè sa di cannella ed è disgustoso!
essere
to be
e
and
questo
this (masculine)
il caffè
the coffee
sapere di
to taste like / smell like
disgustoso
disgusting
la cannella
the cinnamon
Questions & Answers about Questo caffè sa di cannella ed è disgustoso!
I always learned that sapere means "to know". Why does it mean "tastes like" here?
While sapere primarily means "to know" (a fact), it has a secondary use related to the senses. When combined with the preposition di, sapere di means "to taste of" or "to smell of". It is the standard way to describe the specific flavor or scent of something.
Since sapere di can mean both "to smell like" and "to taste like", how do we know which one it is in this sentence?
It is entirely based on context! Because the subject is caffè (a food/drink), "tastes like" is the most natural assumption. However, without further context, "this coffee smells like cinnamon" would also be a perfectly valid translation.
Can I use the word come instead of di to say it tastes "like" cinnamon?
No, this is a classic trap for English speakers. We say "tastes like" in English, but Italian requires the preposition di (literally "tastes of"). If you said sa come cannella, an Italian might confusedly interpret it as "it knows how cinnamon [does something]"!
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