As an English speaker learning Spanish, I was always a little confused that it smells and tastes "to" something rather than "of" something:* *Huele a humo.** *Sabe a ajo.*I would think of "a" as implying that the smell or taste goes from you to the object where "de" would better describe it going from the object to you. How do Spanish speakers think about this preposition? Is it simply "the way things are" or is there an intuitive way of understanding it? Can any other prepositions be used with these verbs, or must it be "a" exclusively?
a is used as a preposition for everything. "A" implies "to." Quiero ir a bailar - I want to dance. Yo quiero ir a comer en un restaurante - I want to go eat at a restaurant.
