Question 1

I learned that sapere means to know. How does it mean tastes like here?

Accepted Answer

The verb sapere is highly versatile! While it means to know a fact, when you pair it with the preposition di plus a noun, it means to taste of or to smell of. This is the standard Italian way to describe flavors and scents.

Question 2

Why is there no article before mandorla? Shouldn't it be della mandorla?

Accepted Answer

When using sapere di to describe a general flavor or scent, you drop the definite article. The word mandorla acts like an essence or a category rather than a specific physical almond. So, you just use di mandorla instead of della mandorla.

Question 3

Could sa di mandorla also mean the cheese smells like almond?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely! The construction sapere di works for both taste and smell. You have to rely on context to know which sense is being used. With food like il formaggio, it usually implies taste, but if you were talking about soap, it would mean smells like.

Question 4

In the phrase è strano, does the adjective agree with the cheese or the situation?

Accepted Answer

It functions as an impersonal expression meaning it is strange, referring to the entire situation of the cheese tasting like almond. Impersonal expressions always take the default masculine singular form. It happens to match the masculine noun il formaggio, but even if the subject were feminine like la zuppa, you would still say è strano.

Il formaggio sa di mandorla, è strano.

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