Using 'saber a' and 'cheirar a' for scents and flavors
When you want to describe a scent or flavor, you might be tempted to translate the English word "like" directly into Portuguese using como. However, saying that something tastes or smells como a lemon will sound quite unnatural to a native speaker.
Instead, Portuguese uses a specific preposition to connect the sensory verb to the flavor or scent it gives off. The verbs saber and cheirar pair with the short preposition a to express what an object tastes or smells like.
To say that something gives off a particular scent, use cheirar followed by a. You do not need any other words to express the concept of "like" or "of". Notice that the noun following the preposition usually stands alone. You rarely need to add articles like um or o when referring to general scents.
Similarly, the verb saber usually means to know, but it also translates as to taste. When describing a flavor, combine it directly with a.
The expression saber a is extremely common and natural in European Portuguese. However, learners focusing on Brazilian Portuguese should know that it is rarely used there. Instead, Brazilians usually opt for the phrase ter gosto de (literally, to have the taste of).
The same logic applies to smelling. While cheirar a is understood everywhere, Brazilians often prefer ter cheiro de (to have the smell of).
Be careful not to confuse smelling like something with the physical action of using your nose to sniff an object. Both translate to cheirar, but only the descriptive version uses the preposition a.
When a person sniffs a flower or a piece of food, cheirar takes a direct object. You simply name the thing being sniffed, with no preposition needed.
When describing a scent or a flavor, skip the word como. Pair cheirar and saber with the preposition a to say what something smells or tastes like, and remember that Brazilians often prefer the alternatives ter cheiro de and ter gosto de.