Learn Hardcore Croatian: Čaj je pretopao, pa čekamo nekoliko minuta. - The tea is too hot, so we wait a few minutes.

Je is the present tense of biti (to be) and functions like is in English: Čaj je pretopao = The tea is too hot.
In Croatian present tense, je is often omitted in informal speech/writing: Čaj pretopao, pa čekamo... is possible, but it sounds more conversational or “headline-like.” In a neutral full sentence, keeping je is standard.

Why is it pretopao and not pretopla / pretoplo?

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

čaj is masculine singular (nominative here), so the adjective is pretopao (masc. sg.).
Compare:
Kava je pretopla (coffee = feminine)
Mlijeko je pretoplo (milk = neuter)

What exactly does pretopao mean, and how is it formed?

Pretopao means too hot (hotter than desirable). It comes from:

topao = warm/hot
prefix pre- = too / over-
So pretopao = overly hot. It’s not the same as “very hot” (that would be jako vruć / vrlo vruć depending on context).

Why does Croatian use topao here instead of vruć?

Both can translate as “hot,” but they’re not identical:

topao often corresponds to warm or pleasantly hot, but with pre- it naturally becomes “too warm/hot.”
vruć is more like hot (often stronger).
In real usage, you can hear both: Čaj je prevruć is also common and means the same idea (the tea is too hot), just with a slightly “hotter” feel.

What does pa mean here, and why is there a comma before it?

Pa here means so / therefore / and so: The tea is too hot, so we wait a few minutes.
A comma is common before pa when it links two clauses and expresses a result/continuation. In simple sentences it’s very typical: ..., pa ...

Could I replace pa with zato or zato što?

Yes, but the structure changes:

..., pa čekamo... = ..., so we’re waiting... (very natural, conversational-neutral)
..., zato čekamo... = ..., therefore we’re waiting... (more explicit/structured)
..., zato što čekamo... would be wrong here because zato što means because, and it introduces the reason clause (you’d need something like: Čekamo nekoliko minuta zato što je čaj pretopao.)

What tense is čekamo, and who is “we”?

Čekamo is present tense, 1st person plural of čekati (to wait): we wait / we are waiting.
Croatian present tense can cover both English simple present and present continuous depending on context. Here it naturally means we’re waiting.

Is čekati imperfective or perfective, and does that matter here?

Čekati is imperfective (ongoing/repeated action). That fits the idea of an ongoing wait.
A perfective-style “wait (and finish waiting)” is usually expressed differently, often with a prefixed verb or a different construction depending on meaning (e.g., pričekati can mean to wait a bit / wait (until something happens)). In this sentence, čekamo is the normal choice.

Why is it nekoliko minuta and not nekoliko minute / nekoliko minut?

After nekoliko (several), Croatian typically uses the genitive plural.

minuta is the genitive plural form of minuta (minute).
So nekoliko minuta = several minutes.

Is minuta always genitive plural? I thought genitive plural for many nouns is hard.

Not always, but for this noun it is. Minuta has a common pattern where genitive plural looks the same as nominative singular:

nominative singular: minuta
genitive plural: minuta
You can confirm it by comparing other cases: jedna minuta (nom. sg.), dvije minute (gen. sg. after 2–4), pet minuta (gen. pl. after 5+), nekoliko minuta (gen. pl.).

Could I say par minuta instead of nekoliko minuta?

Yes. Par minuta means a couple of minutes (often “just a few,” sometimes even closer to 2–3).
Nekoliko minuta is several minutes (a bit less specific, often more than “a couple”).

Why is the word order Čaj je pretopao, pa čekamo nekoliko minuta? Can I move things around?

Croatian word order is flexible, but some choices are more neutral:

Neutral: Čaj je pretopao, pa čekamo nekoliko minuta.
You can emphasize different parts:
Nekoliko minuta čekamo... (focus on how long)
Pa čekamo nekoliko minuta, čaj je pretopao. (stylistic/inverted, less neutral)

How do you pronounce Čaj, pretopao, and čekamo?

A rough guide:

Čaj: like ch in chair
- eye → ch-eye
pretopao: preh-toh-PAH-oh (stress can vary by dialect, but the vowels are clear)
čekamo: CHEH-kah-moh
Croatian č is a “harder” ch sound; c (not here) would be ts.

Is it okay to translate this as “The tea is too hot, so we are waiting a few minutes,” or should it be “we wait for a few minutes”?

Both are valid depending on what you want to emphasize:

we are waiting a few minutes = we’re currently waiting (fits the context well)
we wait for a few minutes = more general/less “in-progress”
Croatian čekamo nekoliko minuta does not require a word for for; duration is expressed directly with the time expression.