Añade una cucharada de salsa y una cucharadita de vinagre, así no queda tan fuerte.

Añade is the tú imperative of añadir (to add). It is used to give an instruction to one person in an informal way, like Add... in a recipe or cooking tip.

So:

• añadir = to add
• añade = add! (informal singular)
• añada = add! (formal singular, usted)
• añadid = add! (plural, vosotros, in Spain)

Recipes often use imperatives like this, especially when speaking directly to the reader.

They are two different spoon measures:

• una cucharada = a tablespoon
• una cucharadita = a teaspoon

The ending -ita is a diminutive, so cucharadita literally means a small spoonful. In cooking, it usually corresponds to teaspoon.

So the sentence is telling you to add:

• one tablespoon of sauce
• one teaspoon of vinegar

In Spanish, after a quantity or measure word, you normally use de before the ingredient.

So:

• una cucharada de salsa
• un vaso de agua
• un kilo de patatas

This is very similar to English a spoonful of sauce, a glass of water, etc.

Because cucharada and cucharadita are measurement nouns. They need to say of what.

• una cucharada = one tablespoon
• una cucharada de salsa = one tablespoon of sauce

Without de salsa, the idea would feel incomplete unless the ingredient was already very clear from context.

Here así means that way, like that, or so.

In this sentence, it connects the instruction with the result:

• Añade... así no queda tan fuerte.
• Add... that way it won’t turn out so strong.

It is very natural in Spanish to use así to mean if you do it this way, the result will be...

The comma separates the instruction from the result/explanation.

The structure is:

• Añade una cucharada de salsa y una cucharadita de vinagre, así no queda tan fuerte.

This is like saying:

• Add a tablespoon of sauce and a teaspoon of vinegar; that way it doesn’t come out so strong.

The comma helps mark the pause between the action and its consequence.

This is a very common question. Here quedar means something like:

• to turn out
• to end up
• to come out
• to be left/result

So no queda tan fuerte means:

• it won’t turn out so strong
• it won’t be left so strong

Using ser (es) would sound less natural here, because the sentence is talking about the result after adding the ingredients, not a permanent characteristic.

In cooking Spanish, quedar is extremely common:

• La sopa queda muy salada = The soup turns out very salty
• Así queda más suave = That way it comes out milder

The subject is omitted, which is normal in Spanish. It means something like it.

In context, it refers to the food, sauce, mixture, or dish being prepared.

So:

• así no queda tan fuerte
• literally: that way [it] doesn’t turn out so strong

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the person clear.

Here fuerte does not mean physically strong. With food, drink, smells, or flavours, fuerte usually means:

• strong
• intense
• sharp
• powerful in taste or smell

So no queda tan fuerte means the flavour will not be so intense or overpowering.

For example:

• un queso fuerte = a strong cheese
• un olor fuerte = a strong smell
• un café fuerte = strong coffee

Tan means so and is often used when comparing the result to some expected level.

• muy fuerte = very strong
• tan fuerte = so strong

So:

• no queda tan fuerte = it doesn’t turn out so strong

This suggests a reduction relative to how strong it might otherwise be.

If you said no queda muy fuerte, that would mean it doesn’t turn out very strong, which is similar but not exactly the same nuance.

Yes, that would also be possible, but it is a slightly different structure.

For example:

• Añade una cucharada de salsa y una cucharadita de vinagre para que no quede tan fuerte.

That means:

• Add a tablespoon of sauce and a teaspoon of vinegar so that it won’t be so strong.

The version with así is a bit more conversational and direct:

• Add this; that way it won’t be so strong.

Both are natural.

Nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine, so you usually have to learn their gender individually.

Here it is:

• el vinagre = vinegar

That is why the sentence says:

• una cucharadita de vinagre

The gender of vinagre does not change the form of cucharadita, because cucharadita is the noun being counted, and de vinagre is just the ingredient phrase after it.

Spanish changes y to e only before words that begin with an i sound, such as:

• padre e hijo
• España e Italia

But here the next word is una, not a word beginning with an i sound, so it stays:

• salsa y una cucharadita de vinagre

Añadir is perfectly normal in Spain, especially in recipes, instructions, and written cooking language.

You may also hear:

• agregar = to add
• echar = to put in / add

In Spain, echar is also very common in everyday speech:

• Echa un poco de sal = Add a bit of salt

But añade sounds very natural and standard in a recipe-style sentence.

The command changes depending on who you are addressing:

• Añade... = informal singular (tú)
• Añada... = formal singular (usted)
• Añadid... = informal plural in Spain (vosotros)
• Añadan... = formal plural (ustedes)

The rest of the sentence could stay the same:

• Añada una cucharada de salsa y una cucharadita de vinagre, así no queda tan fuerte.

It works in Spain and is fully natural there. Nothing in it is strongly regional or uniquely Peninsular, though the instruction style and the use of añade fit standard Spain Spanish very well.

A speaker from Latin America would also understand it easily, though they might sometimes prefer slightly different verbs, such as agrega instead of añade.

It is pronounced roughly a-NYA-deh.

The key point is ñ, which sounds like the ny in canyon.

So:

• añade ≈ ah-NYA-deh

That ñ is important, because n and ñ are different letters in Spanish.