Rasprava je bez veze; ne pretjeruj, govori pristojno.

Bez veze is a very common idiomatic expression. In this sentence, it means something like pointless, nonsense, stupid, or not worth it, depending on context.

Literally, it is made of:

• bez = without
• veze = genitive form of veza = connection, link, relation

So the literal sense is without connection, but in everyday Croatian it often means it makes no sense, it’s pointless, or it’s lame.

So Rasprava je bez veze is a natural conversational way to say that the discussion is pointless or silly.

Because je is the 3rd person singular of biti (to be) and is needed in a normal present-tense sentence:

• Rasprava je bez veze = The discussion is pointless

Croatian often uses to be in exactly the same kind of structure as English does.

You might hear something shorter like Rasprava, bez veze in very informal speech or as a fragment, but the full standard sentence is Rasprava je bez veze.

Because the preposition bez always takes the genitive case.

So:

• dictionary form: veza
• after bez: bez veze

This is not special to this phrase; it is a general grammar rule:

• bez šećera = without sugar
• bez problema = without a problem / no problem
• bez veze = literally without connection, idiomatically pointless / nonsense

Even though bez veze is an idiom, the case is still grammatically regular.

Pretjeruj is the imperative form of the verb pretjerivati / pretjerati, meaning to exaggerate or to go too far.

So:

• pretjeruj! = exaggerate! / go too far!
• ne pretjeruj! = don’t exaggerate! / don’t overdo it!

In this sentence, it is addressing you singular, usually informal ti.

Croatian imperatives often omit the subject pronoun, so:

• (ti) ne pretjeruj
• (ti) govori pristojno

The ti is understood.

Both are possible, but they are slightly different in structure.

• ne pretjeruj = direct negative imperative, very common
• nemoj pretjerivati = literally don’t be exaggerating / don’t exaggerate, also very common

Both can mean don’t exaggerate.

The version in your sentence, ne pretjeruj, is short, direct, and natural in spoken language. It sounds like a straightforward instruction or warning.

Because pristojno is an adverb, while pristojan is an adjective.

Here the speaker is telling someone how to speak, so Croatian uses an adverb:

• pristojan = polite (describes a person or noun)
• pristojno = politely / in a polite way (describes the action)

So:

• On je pristojan. = He is polite.
• Govori pristojno. = Speak politely.

English works the same way here: polite vs politely.

Here govori is also an imperative, from govoriti (to speak, to talk).

So:

• govori! = speak!
• govori pristojno! = speak politely!

This is the 2nd person singular imperative, addressed to one person informally.

Be careful: govori can also be a present-tense form meaning he/she speaks or you speak in some contexts, but here the context clearly makes it an imperative.

Yes. In Croatian, subject pronouns are often left out because the verb ending already shows who is meant.

So:

• ne pretjeruj = don’t exaggerate
• govori pristojno = speak politely

The hidden subject is ti (you, singular informal).

If you add ti, it becomes more explicit and can sound more emphatic:

• Ti ne pretjeruj, govori pristojno.

But normally Croatian leaves it out.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, especially in spoken language, though some versions sound more natural than others.

For example, these are all possible:

• Rasprava je bez veze; ne pretjeruj, govori pristojno.
• Rasprava je bez veze; govori pristojno, ne pretjeruj.
• Bez veze je ta rasprava... (more marked, more expressive)

The original order sounds natural because it first gives an opinion about the discussion, then gives two instructions:

1. don’t exaggerate
2. speak politely

So the word order helps the sentence flow logically.

It sounds informal and a bit admonishing, but not necessarily very rude.

The tone is something like:

• This discussion is pointless; don’t overdo it, speak politely.

A few nuance points:

• bez veze is conversational and somewhat dismissive
• ne pretjeruj sounds direct
• govori pristojno sounds corrective, like telling someone to behave better

So overall, it sounds like someone trying to calm or correct another person in an argument. It is not extremely harsh, but it is definitely not especially soft or formal.

The semicolon separates two closely related parts:

• Rasprava je bez veze = a statement/opinion
• ne pretjeruj, govori pristojno = commands

So the semicolon shows a stronger break than a comma, but a closer connection than a full stop.

You could also write:

• Rasprava je bez veze. Ne pretjeruj, govori pristojno.

That would also be correct. The semicolon just makes it feel like one connected thought.