С мёдом и лимоном вкус чая становится ярче.

They are in the instrumental case because they follow the preposition с, which here means with.

• мёд → с мёдом
• лимон → с лимоном

This is a very common pattern in Russian:

• с сахаром = with sugar
• с молоком = with milk
• с другом = with a friend

So С мёдом и лимоном means with honey and lemon.

Because чая is in the genitive case. Russian often uses this structure to mean the X of Y.

So:

• вкус = taste
• чая = of tea

Together, вкус чая literally means the taste of tea.

This is a very common noun + genitive pattern:

• цвет неба = the color of the sky
• стакан воды = a glass of water
• запах кофе = the smell of coffee

The base form is чай. After a noun like вкус, Russian uses the genitive to show what the taste belongs to or refers to.

So:

• nominative: чай
• genitive singular: чая

Since the sentence is talking about the taste of tea in general, singular genitive is the normal form here.

The subject is вкус чая.

You can tell because the verb становится is 3rd person singular, and вкус is a singular masculine noun.

So the basic structure is:

• вкус чая = the taste of tea
• становится = becomes
• ярче = brighter / more vivid / more pronounced

In other words, the taste is what becomes something.

Становится comes from становиться, which means to become.

So the sentence is describing a change of quality:

• the tea’s taste becomes more vivid / stronger / brighter

This is very natural in Russian when something changes:

• день становится длиннее = the day becomes longer
• погода становится лучше = the weather becomes better

Here, the idea is that honey and lemon make the taste more pronounced.

Because становится is present tense imperfective, and it works well for a general statement or regular effect.

This sentence is not about one single finished event in the past or future. It means something like:

• in general, with honey and lemon, the taste of tea becomes more vivid

Compare:

• становится = becomes / is becoming
• стал = became
• станет = will become

So становится is the best choice for a general truth or usual result.

Ярче is the comparative form of яркий.

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

In this sentence, it does not mean literally brighter in color. It means the taste becomes more vivid, richer, more pronounced, stronger in character.

Russian often uses words like яркий a bit more broadly than English does, especially for impressions, flavors, emotions, and style.

Because the comparative form in Russian is usually indeclinable in this kind of structure.

So ярче stays the same no matter what noun it refers to:

• чай становится ярче
• музыка становится ярче
• идея становится ярче

After становиться, this comparative form is very common.

Yes, that is also possible, but the emphasis changes slightly.

• С мёдом и лимоном вкус чая становится ярче.

  • This puts the condition with honey and lemon first.
  • It feels a bit like: As for tea with honey and lemon, the taste becomes more vivid.

• Вкус чая с мёдом и лимоном становится ярче.

  • This sounds more like the taste of tea with honey and lemon as one noun phrase.

Both are natural, but the original sentence gives a little more emphasis to the addition of honey and lemon.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, and changing it usually changes focus rather than basic meaning.

Possible versions include:

• С мёдом и лимоном вкус чая становится ярче.
• Вкус чая с мёдом и лимоном становится ярче.
• Вкус чая становится ярче с мёдом и лимоном.

All of these are understandable. The original version sounds natural and highlights the phrase с мёдом и лимоном early.

Because Russian has no articles like a or the.

Whether something is understood as a taste, the taste, or tea’s taste depends on context.

So вкус чая can be understood as:

• the taste of tea
• tea’s taste
• sometimes more generally the taste of tea in general

English needs an article; Russian does not.

It can suggest either idea depending on context, but in this sentence it most naturally means:

• when tea is with honey and lemon
• with the addition of honey and lemon
• tea with honey and lemon

Russian often leaves this kind of detail implicit. The main point is the effect on the taste.

Because the sentence is specifically about the taste, not about tea as a whole.

Compare:

• Чай становится ярче would sound less natural because tea itself is not literally becoming bright; it is the flavor that becomes more vivid.
• Вкус чая становится ярче precisely says that the taste becomes more pronounced.

Russian often prefers this more exact wording when talking about flavor, smell, sound, and similar qualities.

Strictly speaking, yes: the correct form is мёдом from мёд.

In everyday writing, Russians often replace ё with е, so you may also see:

• медом

But the pronunciation is still the same as мёдом. Also, ё is always stressed, which can help with pronunciation.

The main stress pattern is:

• С мЁдом и лимÓном вкУс чАя станÓвится Ярче.

A few useful notes:

• мёдом: stress on мё
• лимоном: stress on но
• вкус: one syllable, naturally stressed
• чая: stress on ча
• становится: stress on но
• ярче: stress on я

Listening practice helps here, because Russian vowel reduction makes unstressed vowels sound weaker than they look in writing.