smaka

Smaka is a Swedish verb meaning to taste or to sample flavors. It is used to describe the act of trying food or drink and, more broadly, to evaluate something by its flavor or quality. The verb often appears in culinary contexts but can also denote testing or sampling in other senses.

Grammar and usage: the infinitive is smaka; present tense is smakar; past tense is smakade; supine is smakat. The imperative form is typically Smaka! or Smaka på, the latter used when inviting someone to taste something specifically. Common constructions include att smaka på maten (to taste the food) and att smaka av (to sample and adjust or refine a flavor). The phrase smaka på is a frequent and natural way to indicate tasting something for its flavor.

Noun form and related meanings: the related noun smak means taste, flavor, or overall sense of what something tastes like. Smak can also denote personal preference, as in det är inte min smak (that is not my taste). Common collocations include en god smak (a good taste/flavor) and smaklökar (taste buds). A well-known expression is smaklig måltid, which wishes someone an enjoyable meal.

Relation to other languages: smaka has cognates in other Scandinavian languages. In Norwegian Bokmål the related verb is å smake, with present tense smaker. Danish uses the verb smage. While closely related, the exact spellings and inflections differ by language, reflecting shared roots in the region’s culinary vocabulary.

See also: taste, flavor, culinary terminology.