Breakdown of Gosto da infusão, pois sabe a camomila.
a
to / at (direction)
gostar de
to like
pois
because (since, for)
a infusão
the infusion
Questions & Answers about Gosto da infusão, pois sabe a camomila.
Why does the verb saber mean "tastes" here instead of "knows"?
When the verb saber is followed by the preposition a, its meaning shifts entirely from "to know" to "to taste like" or "to have the flavor of". This is a fixed structure for sensory verbs in Portuguese, just like how cheirar a means "to smell like".
Why is it just sabe a camomila and not sabe à camomila?
We omit the definite article here because we are referring to the general flavor of chamomile, not a specific, physical chamomile plant. Since there is no feminine article a for the preposition to contract with, the preposition a stands alone.
Could I say saber de camomila if I get the prepositions confused?
No, that would completely change the meaning. The phrase saber de means "to know about" or "to find out about" a piece of information. To express what something tastes or smells like, you must strictly use the preposition a.
I usually use porque to say "because". Is pois used exactly the same way here?
Yes, in this context pois is a direct synonym for porque (meaning "because" or "since"). It is slightly more elevated or literary, and using it is a great way to add variety to your sentence structures. Just remember that unlike porque, pois cannot be used at the very beginning of a sentence to mean "because".