Learn Hardcore Russian: Если суп слишком горячий, подожди минуту.

Если is the standard way to introduce a condition, just like English if. The structure is Если + condition, + result.
So Если суп слишком горячий, подожди минуту. = If the soup is too hot, wait a minute.

Why is there a comma after the first part (Если суп слишком горячий, ...)?

In Russian, an если-clause is a subordinate clause, and it’s normally separated from the main clause by a comma.
So the comma after горячий is the standard punctuation: Если ..., (то) ....

Can I add то like Если суп слишком горячий, то подожди минуту? What changes?

Yes, то is often possible and very common. It roughly means then and makes the logical “if → then” connection more explicit.

Если суп слишком горячий, подожди минуту. (normal, neutral)
Если суп слишком горячий, то подожди минуту. (a bit more explicitly “then”)

In everyday speech, both are fine.

Why is it суп (nominative) and not some other case?

Because суп is the subject of the implied “is” in the condition: суп (есть) горячий = the soup is hot.
With present-tense to be, Russian usually omits the verb (есть) and keeps the subject in the nominative.

Why is it горячий (full adjective) and not горяч (short adjective)?

Both forms exist, but they differ in style and nuance:

суп слишком горячий is the most common, neutral everyday phrasing.
суп слишком горяч is also correct but can sound more bookish, formal, or categorical.

Learners are usually safest using the full form (горячий) in spoken Russian.

How does слишком work here? Is it the same as English too?

Yes: слишком means too / excessively and is used with adjectives and adverbs:

слишком горячий = too hot
слишком быстро = too fast

It often implies “more than is comfortable/acceptable,” just like English too.

Why is the command подожди and not жди?

This is about aspect:

ждать (imperfective) → жди: “be waiting / wait (in general, as a process)”
подождать (perfective) → подожди: “wait a bit / wait for a short time (one complete waiting action)”

Because the sentence says минуту (a specific short duration), Russian naturally prefers perfective подожди.

What exactly does the prefix по- in подожди / подождать add?

In this verb, по- commonly adds the meaning “for a while / a bit”:

подожди ≈ “wait a moment / wait a bit”

It often suggests a limited, short waiting time (which matches минуту well).

Why is it минуту (accusative singular)? Why not минута or минуты?

After verbs like подождать, the duration is often expressed with the accusative:

подожди минуту = “wait a minute”
подожди час = “wait an hour”

минута would be nominative (used for the subject), not for duration.
минуты can appear in other quantity patterns (e.g., две минуты, три минуты), but with one minute you use минуту.

Could I say подожди одну минуту? Does it sound different?

Yes, подожди одну минуту is correct. Adding одну makes it more explicit: “wait one minute (just one).”
Without одну, подожди минуту is the most natural, idiomatic version, similar to English “wait a minute.”

Is the word order fixed? Could I rearrange it?

Russian word order is flexible, but changes can shift emphasis:

Neutral: Если суп слишком горячий, подожди минуту.
Emphasize “too hot”: Если суп горячий слишком, ... (possible but less natural)
Put the command first (more conversational): Подожди минуту, если суп слишком горячий.

The original order is the most standard for “if…, then…” advice.

How do I pronounce tricky parts like если, слишком, and подожди?

Helpful pronunciation notes (approximate):

если: YES-lee (stress on е: Е́сли)
слишком: roughly SLEESH-kəm (stress on сли́: сли́шком; final о reduces toward ə)
подожди: pə-dazh-DEE (stress on the last syllable: подожди́; о reduces toward ə)