Learn Hardcore Croatian: Internet veza je slaba, tako da se jedva čujemo. - The internet connection is weak, so we can barely hear each other.

Whether English would use the or a is understood from context, not from a word in Croatian. The same phrase can mean the internet connection or an internet connection depending on the situation.

What does veza mean, and what gender is it? Why is it slaba and not something else?

Veza is a feminine noun and here it means connection, specifically internet connection.

Because veza is feminine singular, any adjective describing it must agree in gender and number.

Feminine singular adjective ending: -a → slab-a
So: slaba veza = a weak connection

Masculine would be slab (e.g. slab signal), neuter slabo (e.g. slabo svjetlo – weak light).

Is Internet veza the only correct way, or can I say internetska veza?

Both are possible:

Internet veza – very common in everyday speech, a bit more casual. Literally: internet connection.
internetska veza – more “proper”/formal, built with the adjective internetski (internet-related). Literally: internet connection too.

In normal conversation, Internet veza (or internet veza with a lowercase i) is completely natural and probably the most used.

Why is Internet capitalized here? Should it be internet?

Both appear in real usage:

Internet (capital I) – treating it as a proper name, like Atlantic or Google.
internet (small i) – very common in modern writing, treating it as a normal noun.

You will see both in Croatian sources. In casual text, internet veza je slaba (lowercase) is very typical and perfectly fine.

What exactly does tako da mean here? Is it just so?

Yes, in this sentence tako da corresponds to English so / so that / as a result, introducing a consequence:

Internet veza je slaba, tako da se jedva čujemo.
→ The internet connection is weak, so we can barely hear each other.

Functionally it’s:

Cause: Internet veza je slaba – The internet connection is weak
Consequence: tako da se jedva čujemo – so we barely hear each other

tako da is very common in spoken and written Croatian to link cause and result.

Could I replace tako da with pa or zato?

You can, but the nuance changes slightly:

Internet veza je slaba, pa se jedva čujemo.
Also natural. pa here works like so / and so, a bit more informal and “looser” than tako da.
Internet veza je slaba, zato se jedva čujemo.
Less common in this exact sentence but understandable. zato = therefore / that’s why. More typical is:
- Internet veza je slaba, zato se jedva čujemo. (That’s why we barely hear each other.)

tako da is the most neutral for expressing cause → consequence in one sentence.

What does se do in tako da se jedva čujemo? Why is it needed?

se is a clitic pronoun that often marks reflexive or reciprocal actions.

In čujemo se, it’s reciprocal: we hear each other.

čujemo by itself = we hear (someone/something)
čujemo se = we hear each other / we can hear one another

So se here tells you the action goes both ways between we and we (all participants in the call), not just one direction.

Why is the word order se jedva čujemo and not jedva se čujemo?

Both are actually possible:

tako da se jedva čujemo
tako da jedva se čujemo

But in normal speech, clitics like se usually stand in the second position in their clause (the “second position clitic” rule), and very common natural orders are:

tako da se jedva čujemo
tako da se čujemo jedva

tako da se jedva čujemo is the most idiomatic and smooth. se wants to be early in the clause, typically after the first stressed word or phrase.

What does jedva mean exactly?

jedva means barely / hardly / almost not.

In this sentence:

se jedva čujemo = we barely hear each other (it’s difficult to hear; the sound keeps cutting out)

Other examples:

Jedva čekam. – I can hardly wait.
Jedva hodam. – I can barely walk.

What is the difference between jedva se čujemo and jedva vas čujem?

They describe different perspectives:

jedva se čujemo
- we barely hear each other
- reciprocal (both/all sides are affected)
- typical when talking about the call itself or both ends having trouble.
jedva vas čujem
- I can barely hear you (plural or polite singular)
- focuses on I (the speaker) having trouble hearing the other side.
- no se; it’s not reciprocal, it’s one-directional: me → you.

In a real call, both are possible depending on what you want to emphasize.

Why is čujemo in the present tense? Could it be čut ćemo se or something similar?

Here you’re describing a current problem during an ongoing call:

se jedva čujemo – we are barely hearing each other (right now)

If you talk about the future, you can change it:

Internet veza je slaba, jedva ćemo se čuti.
→ The internet connection is weak, we will barely be able to hear each other.

So the present tense čujemo is used because the issue is happening now.

Is the word order of the whole sentence flexible? Could I say it differently but keep the same meaning?

Yes, Croatian word order is relatively flexible, especially in speech. Some natural variants:

Internet veza je slaba, jedva se čujemo.
Veza za internet je slaba, tako da se jedva čujemo.
Zbog slabe internet veze jedva se čujemo. (literally: Because of the weak internet connection, we barely hear each other.)

The original:

Internet veza je slaba, tako da se jedva čujemo.

is very standard and clear, but these alternatives are also correct and commonly used.