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Glielo dico subito: la torta sa di peperoncino.

Glielo dico subito: la torta sa di peperoncino.
I'll tell him right away: the cake tastes like chili pepper.
From Lesson 452:Tastes and smells (sapere di)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Glielo dico subito: la torta sa di peperoncino.

I thought sapere meant to know. Why is it translated as tastes like here?
While sapere usually means to know a fact, when you use the structure sapere di followed by a noun, it means to taste of or to smell of that noun. Here, sa di peperoncino means it literally tastes like chili pepper.
Can sapere di mean to smell like as well as to taste like? How do I tell the difference?
Yes, sapere di covers both tastes and smells. You have to rely entirely on context. Since the subject here is la torta (the cake), it almost certainly refers to taste, though if you were just sniffing it, it could also mean it smells like chili pepper!
Can you break down the word Glielo at the start of the sentence?
Glielo is a double object pronoun combining gli (to him) and lo (it). The letter i in gli changes to an e to connect smoothly with lo. So Glielo dico means I tell it to him. Keep in mind that in these combined forms, gli can also mean to her or to them, so it could also mean I tell it to her.
Why does it use the present tense dico instead of the future tense for I'll tell?
In Italian, it is very common to use the present tense for actions that will happen in the immediate future, especially when accompanied by a time word like subito (right away). You could use the future tense, but Glielo dico subito feels much more natural and urgent in everyday conversation.

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