Naš novi stan je blizu škole.

Because stan is a masculine singular noun, and both naš and novi have to agree with it in gender, number, and case.

So here they are all in the masculine singular nominative:

• naš = our
• novi = new
• stan = apartment/flat

If the noun were feminine, the forms would change:

• naša nova škola = our new school

If it were neuter:

• naše novo selo = our new village

Croatian adjectives and possessives must match the noun they describe.

Because blizu is followed by the genitive case.

The basic form is:

• škola = school

But after blizu you need the genitive singular:

• blizu škole = near the school / near school

So:

• škola = nominative
• škole = genitive singular

This is one of the most important things to notice in the sentence.

Blizu means near or close to.

In Croatian, it is commonly used with the genitive:

• blizu škole = near the school
• blizu kuće = near the house
• blizu grada = near the city

Learners often think of it as working a bit like a preposition in English, even though grammatically it is often described a little differently. The key practical point is simple:

blizu + genitive

Je is the 3rd person singular present form of biti (to be).

So in this sentence:

• stan je blizu škole = the apartment is near the school

Croatian often uses forms of biti where English uses is / am / are.

Here:

• ja sam = I am
• ti si = you are
• on/ona/ono je = he/she/it is

So je is necessary because the sentence means Our new apartment is near the school.

Stan is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.

The subject is the thing being talked about:

• Naš novi stan = our new apartment

Then the sentence says something about it:

• je blizu škole = is near the school

So:

• subject = naš novi stan
• verb = je
• location phrase = blizu škole

Croatian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral, straightforward order is:

• Naš novi stan je blizu škole.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Blizu škole je naš novi stan.
  This puts more focus on the location.

Even so, the original version is the most natural if you are just stating a fact.

Inside the noun phrase, naš novi stan, the order is also natural:

• possessive first: naš
• descriptive adjective next: novi
• noun last: stan

No. Croatian does not use articles like English the and a/an.

So stan can mean:

• an apartment
• the apartment

And škole can mean:

• of a school
• of the school

The exact meaning depends on context.

So when you see:

• Naš novi stan je blizu škole

English may translate it as:

• Our new apartment is near the school or
• Our new apartment is near a school

Usually context tells you which one is meant.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• naš: the š sounds like sh in ship
• novi: roughly NO-vee
• blizu: roughly BLEE-zoo
• škole: SHKO-leh

A few helpful points:

• š = sh
• ž = like the s in measure
• č and ć are both somewhat like English ch, though Croatian distinguishes them

So škole begins with a consonant cluster:

• š + k = shk

Yes, absolutely.

• Naš stan je blizu škole. = Our apartment is near the school.
• Naš novi stan je blizu škole. = Our new apartment is near the school.

Adding novi simply gives extra information.

Because naš behaves like an adjective and must agree with the noun.

You will see different forms depending on gender, number, and case:

• naš stan = our apartment
• naša škola = our school
• naše selo = our village
• naši stanovi = our apartments

And case can also change it:

• naš stan = nominative
• našeg stana = genitive
• našem stanu = dative/locative

So the form naš in this sentence is not random; it matches stan exactly.

No, not in standard Croatian.

After blizu, you need the genitive, not the dative or locative.

So:

• correct: blizu škole
• not standard here: blizu školi

This is a common learner mistake, because English near the school does not show case, but Croatian does.

It is singular.

The dictionary form is:

• škola = school

The form in the sentence is:

• škole = of the school / near the school

Even though škole can also be a plural form in other contexts, here it is clearly genitive singular because it follows blizu.

So in this sentence, it means near the school, not near the schools.