Если добавить укроп и свёклу, борщ станет ярче и вкуснее.

If you add dill and beetroot, the borscht will become brighter and tastier.

Breakdown of Если добавить укроп и свёклу, борщ станет ярче и вкуснее.

• и: and
• если: if
• стать: to become
• борщ: the borscht

Questions & Answers about Если добавить укроп и свёклу, борщ станет ярче и вкуснее.

Why is добавить an infinitive after если instead of a conjugated verb like добавите?

This is a very common Russian pattern: если + infinitive can express a general condition without naming the person who does the action.

So Если добавить укроп и свёклу... means something like:

• If you add dill and beetroot...
• If one adds dill and beetroot...
• If dill and beetroot are added...

It sounds general and neutral, which is especially common in recipes, instructions, and factual statements.

If you wanted to make the subject explicit, you could say:

• Если вы добавите укроп и свёклу, ...

That is also correct, but it sounds more directly addressed to you.

Why is it добавить and not добавлять?

Because добавить is the perfective form. Here, Russian is talking about a single completed action that leads to a result:

• first, you add the ingredients
• then, the borscht becomes brighter and tastier

Perfective is natural because the sentence focuses on the result of that completed addition.

Compare:

• добавить = to add once, to add completely
• добавлять = to be adding, to add repeatedly, to add in general

In this sentence, добавить fits better because it means add these things, and as a result the soup will change.