Do zupy z buraków dodaję trochę koperku i pietruszki.

Because do requires the genitive case in Polish.

The basic form is zupa = soup.
After do, it changes to zupy.

So:

• zupa = nominative
• do zupy = to the soup / into the soup

This is also the normal pattern with the verb dodawać / dodać:

• dodać coś do czegoś = to add something to something

So Do zupy... dodaję... is a very natural structure.

Here z means from / made from, and in that meaning it also takes the genitive.

The noun is:

• burak = beet
• buraki = beets
• buraków = genitive plural

So zupa z buraków literally means soup from beets.

The plural is used because we are talking about the ingredient in a general recipe sense: the soup is made from beets, not from one specific beet. That is very natural in Polish.

Dodaję is the 1st person singular present tense of the imperfective verb dodawać.

It means:

• I add
• I am adding

Depending on context, it can describe:

• a habitual action: I add a little dill and parsley
• an action happening now: I’m adding a little dill and parsley

Polish uses the same form for both of those meanings.

Also, Polish often omits the pronoun ja (I), because the ending -ę already shows that the subject is I.

Because Polish usually does not include subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis.

The verb form dodaję already tells you:

• person: 1st person
• number: singular

So dodaję by itself already means I add / I’m adding.

If you said Ja dodaję..., that would sound more emphatic, like:

• I’m the one who adds...
• I add..., not someone else

Because trochę usually requires the genitive case.

So the dictionary forms:

• koperek = dill
• pietruszka = parsley

change to:

• koperku
• pietruszki

This is a very common pattern in Polish:

• trochę cukru = a little sugar
• trochę mleka = a little milk
• trochę koperku = a little dill

In this sentence, the herbs are treated like ingredients/substances, so the genitive is the natural choice.

Yes. The natural reading is that trochę covers both nouns.

So trochę koperku i pietruszki means something like:

• a little dill and parsley
• some dill and parsley

Because both nouns appear in genitive forms, the structure shows that they belong together under that quantity idea.

If you wanted to make it extra explicit, you could also say:

• trochę koperku i trochę pietruszki

But the original sentence is perfectly normal.

Yes, koperek is historically a diminutive-looking form, but in everyday Polish it is very often just the normal word people use for dill, especially in cooking.

So for a learner, the safest takeaway is:

• koperek = the common everyday word for dill
• koper also exists, but can sound more botanical or less kitchen-like in some contexts

In this sentence, koperku is simply the genitive form of koperek after trochę.

In isolation, pietruszka can sometimes be a bit broad in meaning, because Polish can use it for the plant in general, and in cooking it may refer to different parts depending on context.

But here, because it appears together with koperek and is something being added to soup in a small amount, learners should understand it as parsley as a herb.

If someone wanted to be very specific about the leafy part, they might say:

• natka pietruszki = parsley leaves / parsley greens

So this sentence sounds like adding dill and parsley as herbs.

Yes. Polish word order is much more flexible than English word order.

The original sentence:

• Do zupy z buraków dodaję trochę koperku i pietruszki.

is natural and emphasizes what I’m adding it to first.

But you could also say:

• Dodaję trochę koperku i pietruszki do zupy z buraków.

That is also correct and natural.

The difference is mainly in focus and style, not basic meaning.

Yes, it sounds very natural in a recipe, cooking explanation, or casual description of what someone does when making soup.

Because dodaję is imperfective present, it works well for:

• recipe narration
• habitual cooking instructions
• describing your usual method

If you wanted a more direct instruction, Polish might also use:

• Dodaj trochę koperku i pietruszki do zupy z buraków.

That would mean Add a little dill and parsley to the beet soup.