Learn Hardcore Russian: Без чеснока вкус был бы слабее, поэтому не стоит забывать про специи. - Without garlic the taste would be weaker, so it’s not worth forgetting about spices.

The preposition без (without) always requires the genitive case.
So чеснок → чеснока (genitive singular): без чеснока = without garlic.

What does был бы mean here, and why are there two words?

был бы is the conditional / hypothetical form: would be.
Russian often forms this with:

a past-tense form of быть (был/была/было/были) +
the particle бы

So:

вкус был бы слабее = the taste would be weaker (if garlic weren’t there).

Why is it вкус был бы (masculine), not было бы?

Because вкус is a masculine noun, so past tense agrees with it:

вкус был (masc.)
еда была (fem.)
пиво было (neut.)
специи были (plural)

Then you add бы for the conditional: вкус был бы…

Where is the word если (if)? Shouldn’t it be “If there were no garlic…”?

Russian often omits если when the conditional meaning is already clear, especially with без + genitive and бы.
Без чеснока вкус был бы слабее is understood as: If there were no garlic, the taste would be weaker.

You can also say:

Если бы не было чеснока, вкус был бы слабее. (more explicit)

What is слабее grammatically?

слабее is the comparative form of the adjective слабый (weak):

слабый = weak
слабее = weaker

Russian comparatives often appear in this short form ending in -ее / -ей.

Why is there a comma before поэтому?

Because поэтому (therefore/so) introduces a second clause, and Russian typically separates clauses with a comma:

…вкус был бы слабее, поэтому…

This is standard punctuation for two related clauses.

What part of speech is поэтому, and does it mean because?

поэтому means therefore / so / that’s why, not because.
It points to a result, not a cause.

Cause = потому что (because):

…потому что… = because…

Result = поэтому (therefore):

…, поэтому … = …, so …

What does не стоит mean literally, and why is there no subject?

не стоит + infinitive is an impersonal construction meaning it’s not worth / one shouldn’t.

Literally, стоить means to be worth.
So:

не стоит забывать = it’s not worth forgetting → natural English: you shouldn’t forget

No subject is required; it’s a general recommendation.

Why is it забывать (imperfective) and not забыть (perfective)?

With не стоит, Russian commonly uses the imperfective infinitive to mean “don’t (habitually / in general) do this”:

не стоит забывать = you shouldn’t forget (as a general rule)

не стоит забыть is unusual here because perfective would imply a single completed act (“it’s not worth forgetting once”), which doesn’t fit the general advice.

Why does Russian use про специи and not о специях?

Both can mean “about,” but they differ in style and nuance:

про + accusative (про специи) is more conversational and often means “don’t forget about / don’t forget to include.”
о + prepositional (о специях) is more neutral/formal and often fits “talk/think about.”

Here, не стоит забывать про специи is very natural: “don’t forget about the spices (i.e., to use them).”

Why is специи in the accusative, and why does it look the same as nominative?

про requires the accusative case.
специи is plural, inanimate, so:

nominative plural = специи
accusative plural = специи (same form)

So the spelling doesn’t change, but the case role does.

Could the sentence be reordered, and what would change?

Yes—Russian word order is flexible, but emphasis changes.

For example:

Поэтому не стоит забывать про специи: без чеснока вкус был бы слабее.
Puts the conclusion first, then explains why.

The original order feels natural: reason → result/advice.