Learn Italian: Il burro sa di tartufo. - The butter tastes like truffle.

Il burro sa di tartufo.

The butter tastes like truffle.

Breakdown of Il burro sa di tartufo.

il burro

the butter

sapere di

to taste like / smell like

il tartufo

the truffle

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Italian now

Questions & Answers about Il burro sa di tartufo.

Why is the verb sapere (to know) used here instead of a verb for tasting?

When sapere is paired with the preposition di, it takes on a sensory meaning: to taste of or to smell of. While a verb like assaggiare means to actively taste or sample a food, sapere di describes the passive flavor that the food emits.

Could sa di tartufo also mean it smells like truffle?

Yes! Sapere di applies to both taste and smell. Context tells you which one it is. Since butter is a food being eaten, it translates to tastes like, but if you were simply sniffing the wrapper, it would mean it smells like truffle.

Why isn't there a definite article before tartufo? Shouldn't it be del tartufo?

When describing a general flavor or scent category with sapere di, you omit the article and just use di. You only use an articulated preposition like del if comparing it to a specific, tangible object, such as sa del tartufo che abbiamo comprato (it tastes like the truffle we bought).

If I wanted to say the truffles taste like butter, would it be I tartufi sanno di burro?

Exactly. You conjugate sapere to match the subject giving off the flavor. So sanno matches the plural subject I tartufi, while the complement di burro stays exactly the same.