Если в соус добавить немного уксуса, вкус станет ярче.

Because в can take different cases depending on meaning.

• в + accusative = movement into something / change of destination
• в + prepositional = location inside something

Here, добавить в соус means to add into the sauce, so the sauce is the destination of what you are adding. That is why Russian uses соус in the accusative.

Compare:

• добавить уксус в соус = add vinegar to the sauce
• уксус в соусе = the vinegar is in the sauce

So в соус is correct because the action is directed into the sauce.

This is a very common Russian pattern in general statements, instructions, and recipe-style language.

Если в соус добавить немного уксуса... literally looks like If to add a little vinegar to the sauce..., but in natural English it means:

• If you add a little vinegar to the sauce...
• If one adds a little vinegar to the sauce...

Russian often leaves the subject unstated when the meaning is general. The infinitive makes the sentence sound neutral and instructional.

A more personal version would be:

• Если вы добавите немного уксуса в соус...

That means basically the same thing, but the original sentence is more impersonal and stylistically smooth.

Because немного requires the genitive.

With amounts like немного, много, мало, достаточно, Russian normally puts the following noun in the genitive case.

So:

• немного уксуса = a little vinegar
• немного сахара = a little sugar
• немного воды = a little water

Here уксус is a mass noun, so the genitive singular уксуса is used.

This is similar to the idea of some of or a little of in English.

Because vinegar is being treated as an uncountable substance.

In Russian, when a mass noun follows немного, it usually appears in the genitive singular:

• немного молока = a little milk
• немного вина = a little wine
• немного уксуса = a little vinegar

You would use plural only with countable nouns:

• немного яблок = a few apples

So уксуса is singular because vinegar is a substance, not a countable item here.

Стать / станет means to become, while быть / будет means to be.

So:

• вкус станет ярче = the taste will become brighter / more vivid
• вкус будет ярче = the taste will be brighter

Both can work in some contexts, but станет emphasizes the change in taste after adding vinegar. That fits the sentence well, because the whole point is that the taste changes as a result of the action.

Ярче is the comparative form of яркий.

• яркий = bright, vivid
• ярче = brighter, more vivid

Russian often forms comparatives as a single word rather than using something like more.

Examples:

• быстрый → быстрее = fast → faster
• тихий → тише = quiet → quieter
• яркий → ярче = bright/vivid → brighter/more vivid

In this sentence, ярче describes the taste becoming more vivid or more pronounced.

Yes. Russian often uses words that are literally about light or color to describe flavor, sound, emotion, and so on.

So яркий вкус does not mean visually bright. It means:

• vivid
• pronounced
• strong in a pleasant way
• more noticeable

That is why вкус станет ярче is a natural way to say the flavor will become more vivid or more lively.

Because вкус is the subject of станет.

The structure is:

• вкус станет ярче = the taste will become brighter

So вкус is the thing undergoing the change, and that makes it the grammatical subject. Subjects are normally in the nominative case.

Because Если в соус добавить немного уксуса is a subordinate clause introduced by если.

Russian punctuation requires a comma between the if-clause and the main clause:

• Если ..., ...

So:

• Если в соус добавить немного уксуса, вкус станет ярче.

This comma is not optional in standard Russian writing.

Because the sentence refers to a single completed action with a result.

• добавить = perfective, to add (once, to completion)
• добавлять = imperfective, to be adding / to add repeatedly or generally as a process

Here the meaning is: after you add a little vinegar, the taste changes. That result-oriented meaning strongly favors the perfective добавить.

If you used добавлять, it would sound more like a repeated/habitual process or focus on the action itself rather than the result.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, and the basic meaning would stay the same.

For example:

• Если добавить в соус немного уксуса, вкус станет ярче.
• Если немного уксуса добавить в соус, вкус станет ярче.

The original version:

• Если в соус добавить немного уксуса, вкус станет ярче.

puts в соус relatively early, which can make the destination feel slightly emphasized. In practice, several orders are possible, especially in spoken Russian.

It is a real, likely condition: if this action is done, this result follows.

Russian does not use a special would-type form here. It simply states the condition and the expected result:

• Если ... , вкус станет ярче.

This is different from a more hypothetical or contrary-to-fact idea, which would usually involve бы.

So the sentence is not saying If you were to add... the taste would become brighter in an unreal sense. It is more like:

• If you add a little vinegar to the sauce, the taste will become brighter.

Yes, absolutely.

• Если вы добавите немного уксуса в соус, вкус станет ярче.

This is fully correct and very natural.

The difference is mostly stylistic:

• Если в соус добавить... = more impersonal, general, recipe-like
• Если вы добавите... = directly addressing you

Russian often prefers the impersonal version in cooking instructions, advice, and general observations.