U novom stanu još nemamo sav namještaj, ali dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo.

After u, Croatian can use two different cases:

• locative for location: in / at
• accusative for movement toward: into

Here the meaning is in the new apartment, so it describes location, not movement. That is why Croatian uses the locative:

• stan = apartment
• u stanu = in the apartment
• u novom stanu = in the new apartment

Compare:

• U novom stanu još nemamo sav namještaj. = We still don’t have all the furniture in the new apartment.
• Idemo u novi stan. = We are going into / moving into the new apartment.

So u + locative = being somewhere, and u + accusative = going somewhere.

Because both the adjective and the noun have to match the case required by the preposition.

The base forms are:

• novi stan = a new apartment / the new apartment

But after u with the meaning in, we need the locative singular:

• novi → novom
• stan → stanu

So:

• novi stan = nominative
• u novom stanu = locative

This agreement is very important in Croatian: adjectives change together with the nouns they describe.

Namještaj works like a mass noun, very much like English furniture. It usually appears as a singular noun even though it refers to many individual items.

So:

• namještaj = furniture
• sav namještaj = all the furniture

Croatian normally does not use a regular plural here when talking about furniture in general.

If you want to talk about individual pieces, you would usually use other words, for example:

• komad namještaja = a piece of furniture
• stolice, stolovi, ormari = chairs, tables, wardrobes

So nemamo sav namještaj means we don’t have all the furniture yet, not we don’t have one furniture.

Sav means all / the whole / entire, depending on context.

In this sentence, sav namještaj means:

• all the furniture
• literally something like the whole furniture set

Why sav?

Because namještaj is:

• masculine
• singular
• here in the accusative, but since it is masculine inanimate, the accusative looks the same as the nominative

So we get:

• sav namještaj

Some useful related forms:

• sva voda = all the water
• svo vrijeme = all the time
• svi ljudi = all people

So sav changes form depending on the noun.

Here još corresponds to English still in meaning, but in the full sentence English often translates it as yet:

• još nemamo = we still don’t have / we don’t have yet

So:

• Još nemamo sav namještaj. = We still don’t have all the furniture. = We don’t have all the furniture yet.

Croatian još is very common and can mean several related things depending on context:

• still: Još čekam. = I’m still waiting.
• yet: Nisam još gotov. = I’m not finished yet.
• more / another: Još kave, molim. = More coffee, please.

Yes, Croatian word order is fairly flexible, but this position is very natural:

• još nemamo sav namještaj

This sounds neutral and standard.

You may also hear:

• Nemamo još sav namještaj.

That also means the same thing and is very natural.

Croatian often moves short words like još, već, ne, and pronouns around for emphasis or rhythm. So word order can change, but not completely freely. For a learner, the safest neutral versions are:

• Još nemamo sav namještaj.
• Nemamo još sav namještaj.

Literally, dnevni boravak is something like daily staying room:

• dnevni = daily / daytime
• boravak = stay, staying, spending time somewhere

But in normal usage, dnevni boravak simply means:

• living room

It is the standard word for that room in a home.

You may also notice that boravak by itself can mean stay in other contexts, for example:

• boravak u hotelu = stay at a hotel

So in dnevni boravak, the whole phrase has become the ordinary term for living room.

Because dnevni boravak is the subject of the second clause:

• dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo
• the living room already looks warm

Subjects are normally in the nominative, so we use:

• dnevni boravak = nominative singular

If it were after a preposition requiring another case, then it would change, for example:

• u dnevnom boravku = in the living room

So compare:

• Dnevni boravak izgleda toplo. = The living room looks warm.
• U dnevnom boravku... = In the living room...

This is a very common learner question.

After verbs like izgledati (to look / seem), Croatian often uses the neuter singular adverb-like form of an adjective to describe the overall impression:

• izgleda toplo = looks warm
• izgleda lijepo = looks nice
• izgleda čudno = looks strange

Even though dnevni boravak is masculine, the word after izgleda is often this neutral descriptive form: toplo, not topao.

Why? Because it functions more like in a warm way / gives a warm impression, rather than directly agreeing as a normal adjective with the noun.

So:

• topao boravak = a warm living room
• boravak izgleda toplo = the living room looks warm

This pattern is very common and natural in Croatian.

Već means already.

So the sentence contrasts two ideas:

• još nemamo sav namještaj = we still don’t have all the furniture
• ali dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo = but the living room already looks warm

This gives a nice contrast:

• something is not complete yet
• but one positive result is already visible

That contrast between još and već is very common in Croatian:

• Još nije gotov, ali već izgleda bolje. = It isn’t finished yet, but it already looks better.

Croatian has no articles like English a / an / the.

So nouns often appear without any separate article word:

• stan can mean an apartment or the apartment
• dnevni boravak can mean a living room or the living room

The exact meaning comes from context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses the:

• In the new apartment...
• the living room already looks warm

But Croatian simply says:

• u novom stanu
• dnevni boravak

The listener understands from context that a specific apartment and a specific living room are meant.

Yes. Croatian allows some flexibility in word order, especially for emphasis. For example, these are all natural:

• U novom stanu još nemamo sav namještaj, ali dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo.
• U novom stanu nemamo još sav namještaj, ali dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo.
• Još nemamo sav namještaj u novom stanu, ali dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo.

The original version is very natural because it:

1. sets the scene first: u novom stanu
2. gives the unfinished situation: još nemamo sav namještaj
3. adds a contrast with ali
4. finishes with the positive result: dnevni boravak već izgleda toplo

So the given sentence is a very good, idiomatic version.