Zimi mi više odgovara vuna nego pamuk.

Zimi means in winter or during the winter.

It is a common Croatian time expression formed from zima (winter), and in this use it behaves like an adverb of time. Croatian often uses forms like:

• ljeti = in summer
• zimi = in winter
• ujutro = in the morning

So Zimi here simply sets the time frame: in winter.

You would normally not say u zimi in this sentence. That sounds unnatural for this everyday meaning.

Mi means to me / for me.

It is the dative form of ja (I). Croatian uses the dative with odgovarati when something suits someone.

So:

• mi odgovara = it suits me
• literally: to me it is suitable

This is different from English, where we usually make I the subject:

• Wool suits me better

In Croatian, the thing that suits you is the grammatical subject, and the person affected is in the dative:

• Vuna mi odgovara.
• literally: Wool suits to me

Yes, odgovarati can mean to answer, but it also has another very common meaning: to suit, to be convenient for, or to agree with someone.

So depending on context:

• Odgovaram na pitanje. = I am answering a question.
• Ova boja mi odgovara. = This color suits me.
• To mi odgovara. = That works for me / That suits me.

In your sentence, the meaning is clearly to suit:

• vuna mi više odgovara = wool suits me better / wool is more suitable for me

Više means more.

Here it makes a comparison:

• odgovara = suits
• više odgovara = suits more / suits better

So the sentence compares wool and cotton:

• Vuna mi više odgovara nego pamuk.
• literally: Wool suits me more than cotton.

In natural English, we would often say better instead of more, but Croatian uses više very naturally here.

Because both nouns are being used in their basic dictionary form here, essentially the nominative.

• vuna = wool
• pamuk = cotton

The sentence is comparing the two materials as general categories.

The subject is vuna, so nominative makes sense:

• Vuna odgovara. = Wool suits...

After nego, Croatian also commonly keeps the compared noun in the same basic form:

• vuna nego pamuk

So this structure is very normal.

Because only vuna is the grammatical subject of the verb.

The sentence structure is:

• Zimi = in winter
• mi = to me
• više odgovara = suits more
• vuna = wool
• nego pamuk = than cotton

So the verb agrees with vuna, not with both nouns together.

That is why it is singular:

• vuna odgovara

The phrase nego pamuk is just the second part of the comparison, not a second subject.

Because this is a comparison between two nouns after a comparative idea: više (more).

Croatian commonly uses nego (or sometimes no) in this kind of comparison:

• veći nego = bigger than
• bolji nego = better than
• više ... nego ... = more ... than ...

So:

• vuna mi više odgovara nego pamuk = wool suits me more than cotton

Using od is common in some other comparisons, especially with adjectives:

• veći od mene = bigger than me

But in this sentence, nego is the natural choice.

The given order is very natural:

• Zimi mi više odgovara vuna nego pamuk.

Croatian word order is flexible, so other versions are possible, for example:

• Vuna mi zimi više odgovara nego pamuk.
• Više mi zimi odgovara vuna nego pamuk.

But the original sentence sounds smooth and idiomatic because it goes from:

1. time: Zimi
2. person affected: mi
3. verb phrase: više odgovara
4. main subject and comparison: vuna nego pamuk

So yes, the word order can change, but the original is a very good neutral sentence.

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct:

• Zimi mi vuna više odgovara nego pamuk.

The difference is mostly one of emphasis and rhythm, not basic meaning.

Compare:

• Zimi mi više odgovara vuna nego pamuk.
  • slightly focuses on the idea of suiting better
• Zimi mi vuna više odgovara nego pamuk.
  • slightly brings vuna forward sooner

Both are natural Croatian.

Yes. Vuna means wool, and pamuk means cotton.

In this sentence, both are used in a general sense, meaning the material or fabric type, not one specific wool item or one specific piece of cotton.

So the sentence is understood as something like:

• In winter, wool suits me better than cotton
• or In winter, I do better with wool than with cotton

It is a general statement about clothing material or comfort.