Если десна кровоточит, стоит пойти к врачу.

If the gum is bleeding, it’s worth going to the doctor.

Breakdown of Если десна кровоточит, стоит пойти к врачу.

• пойти: to go
• к: to
• если: if
• врач: the doctor

Questions & Answers about Если десна кровоточит, стоит пойти к врачу.

What does стоит пойти mean here? Does стоит literally mean costs?

Here стоит does not mean costs.

In the pattern стоит + infinitive, it means something like:

• it is worth doing
• it would be a good idea to do
• one should do

So стоит пойти к врачу means it’s worth going to the doctor or more naturally you should go to the doctor.

This is a fairly soft, natural way to give advice. It is less direct than нужно пойти к врачу or надо пойти к врачу.

Why is there no word for you in the sentence?

Russian often leaves out a specific subject when making a general recommendation.

In стоит пойти к врачу, there is no explicit you, but the meaning is understood as:

• you should go to the doctor
• one should go to the doctor

This is an impersonal construction. Russian uses these very often, especially for advice, rules, and general statements.

Why is it пойти, not идти?