Schmecken (to taste) und Probieren (to taste something)

Schmecken

The regular verb schmecken works just like the verb to taste in English. The verb agrees with the subject:

The cake tastes good.
- Subject=the cake-singular/Verb=tastes-singular
- Der Kuchen schmeckt gut.
The fish and the salad taste good.
- Subject= the fish and the salad-plural/Verb=taste-plural
- Der Fisch und der Salat schmecken gut.

Probieren

The verb probieren also means to taste, but it means to taste or sample something, to try something out:

I'm tasting the cake.
- Ich probiere den Kuchen.
Taste the cake Mr. Reichert!
- Probieren Sie den Kuchen, Herr Reichert!

Dialog

Dialog
Person 1:	Probier mal den Kuchen! ... Schmeckt der Kuchen?
Person 2:	Ja, er schmeckt sehr gut.
Person 1:	Nimm noch ein Stück Kuchen!
Person 2:	Danke

Practice Activity

In Germany people tend to express their opinions more than people in the United States. Don't be surprised or offended if when you ask a German if he/she liked the food you cooked, you hear a "No, I didn't" and a specific criticism of your food. Now it is your turn to practice expressing your opinion:

For each question below, choose the German equivalent for the English phrase given as a response to the question.

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