Learn Hardcore Croatian: Između nas je jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo. - Between us there is a strong connection and a long friendship.

Između nas je jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo.
- Very natural and common.
- Focus is on what exists between us.
Jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo su između nas.
- Grammatically possible, but sounds a bit heavier or more formal.
- Verb in the plural (su) agrees with the compound subject (jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo).
- Emphasis shifts more to the bond and friendship themselves.
Jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo je između nas.
- You might sometimes hear singular je here in speech, but it is less standard because now jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo clearly look like the grammatical subject in plural.

The original sentence works a bit like English There is a strong bond and long friendship between us, where there is stays singular.

Why is it jaka veza and not jako veza?

Because jaka is an adjective agreeing with a feminine noun, while jako is normally an adverb.

veza is a feminine noun (singular, nominative).
The adjective must match it in gender, number, and case:
- feminine, singular, nominative → jaka.

So:

jaka veza = strong bond (correct)
jako most often means strongly / very, not strong as an adjective in this position.

You would use jako like this:

jako dobra veza = a very good connection
jako ga volim = I love him very much.

Why is it dugo prijateljstvo, and not duga prijateljstva or dugačko prijateljstvo?

Let’s break it down:

prijateljstvo is neuter, singular, nominative.
The basic adjective dug (long) in neuter singular nominative is dugo.

So:

masculine: dug (dug dan – a long day)
feminine: duga (duga noć – a long night)
neuter: dugo (dugo prijateljstvo – long friendship)

duga prijateljstva would be plural (long friendships).
dugačko is also a neuter form but sounds more like longish / lengthy, often used for physical length; dugo prijateljstvo is the more idiomatic choice when speaking about the duration of a friendship.

Why is there no word like a before jaka veza and dugo prijateljstvo?

Croatian has no articles (no direct equivalent of English a / an / the).

The idea of a strong bond or a long friendship is simply expressed by:

jaka veza
dugo prijateljstvo

Whether English would use a or the is usually understood from context in Croatian, without an explicit article word.

If there are two things (jaka veza and dugo prijateljstvo), why is the verb je and not su?

Structurally, između nas je jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo works like an existential sentence (similar to English there is):

Literally: Between us is a strong bond and a long friendship.

Croatian often uses je (3rd person singular) in this type of sentence even when more than one thing is listed. The emphasis is not on the grammatical subject being plural, but on the existence of something in a certain place or relationship.

If you front the nouns and make them clearly the grammatical subject, plural su becomes more natural:

Jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo su između nas.

Do I have to repeat the adjectives, or could I say između nas je jaka i dug(a) veza i prijateljstvo?

Repeating the adjectives, as in the original:

jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo

is the clearest and most natural.

You can try to share adjectives, but you must be careful with agreement:

jaka i dugotrajna veza i prijateljstvo – here both adjectives are feminine, so they naturally sound tied more to veza, and the structure feels slightly clumsy.

Since veza is feminine and prijateljstvo is neuter, one shared adjective form cannot agree perfectly with both at the same time. That is why:

jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo

with each noun having its own correctly agreeing adjective is the best option.

Can veza in this sentence mean a romantic relationship, or is it only friendship?

veza is a very flexible word. It can mean:

a romantic relationship
a bond or connection (emotional, family, professional, etc.)
a link, connection, tie in many abstract senses

In između nas je jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo, the extra phrase dugo prijateljstvo pushes the meaning towards a strong emotional bond based on long friendship.

It does not have to be romantic, but context (tone, who is speaking to whom, other sentences) could make it sound romantic or purely platonic.

What is the difference between između and među? Could I say među nama je jaka veza?

Both između and među deal with the idea of between / among, but they are used a bit differently:

između = between (more clearly two sides or a small fixed set)
- između nas = between us
među = among / amidst (more of a group or being in the middle of something)
- među nama = among us

You can say:

Među nama je jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo.

That sounds more like Among us there is a strong bond and long friendship, a bit more general or collective in feel.

između nas focuses slightly more on the relationship between the people involved, and fits very naturally here.

Is the word order fixed, or can I say Između nas je dugo prijateljstvo i jaka veza?

The word order is flexible, and you can say:

Između nas je dugo prijateljstvo i jaka veza.

Both versions are grammatically correct. The difference is mostly in emphasis and rhythm:

jaka veza i dugo prijateljstvo – first focuses on the strength of the bond.
dugo prijateljstvo i jaka veza – first highlights the long‑lasting friendship.

Croatian allows such reordering quite freely, as long as the agreement (cases, gender, number) is correct.