diff --git a/mercurial/cmdutil.py b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
--- a/mercurial/cmdutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
@@ -1979,7 +1979,7 @@ def graphrevs(repo, nodes, opts):
         nodes = nodes[:limit]
     return graphmod.nodes(repo, nodes)
 
-def add(ui, repo, match, dryrun, listsubrepos, prefix, explicitonly):
+def add(ui, repo, match, prefix, explicitonly, **opts):
     join = lambda f: os.path.join(prefix, f)
     bad = []
     oldbad = match.bad
@@ -2003,17 +2003,15 @@ def add(ui, repo, match, dryrun, listsub
         sub = wctx.sub(subpath)
         try:
             submatch = matchmod.narrowmatcher(subpath, match)
-            if listsubrepos:
-                bad.extend(sub.add(ui, submatch, dryrun, listsubrepos, prefix,
-                                   False))
+            if opts.get('subrepos'):
+                bad.extend(sub.add(ui, submatch, prefix, False, **opts))
             else:
-                bad.extend(sub.add(ui, submatch, dryrun, listsubrepos, prefix,
-                                   True))
+                bad.extend(sub.add(ui, submatch, prefix, True, **opts))
         except error.LookupError:
             ui.status(_("skipping missing subrepository: %s\n")
                            % join(subpath))
 
-    if not dryrun:
+    if not opts.get('dry_run'):
         rejected = wctx.add(names, prefix)
         bad.extend(f for f in rejected if f in match.files())
     return bad
diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -199,8 +199,7 @@ def add(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     """
 
     m = scmutil.match(repo[None], pats, opts)
-    rejected = cmdutil.add(ui, repo, m, opts.get('dry_run'),
-                           opts.get('subrepos'), prefix="", explicitonly=False)
+    rejected = cmdutil.add(ui, repo, m, "", False, **opts)
     return rejected and 1 or 0
 
 @command('addremove',
diff --git a/mercurial/subrepo.py b/mercurial/subrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/subrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/subrepo.py
@@ -621,9 +621,10 @@ class hgsubrepo(abstractsubrepo):
                 fp.close()
 
     @annotatesubrepoerror
-    def add(self, ui, match, dryrun, listsubrepos, prefix, explicitonly):
-        return cmdutil.add(ui, self._repo, match, dryrun, listsubrepos,
-                           os.path.join(prefix, self._path), explicitonly)
+    def add(self, ui, match, prefix, explicitonly, **opts):
+        return cmdutil.add(ui, self._repo, match,
+                           os.path.join(prefix, self._path), explicitonly,
+                           **opts)
 
     def addremove(self, m, prefix, opts, dry_run, similarity):
         # In the same way as sub directories are processed, once in a subrepo,