Zahvaljujući novom rasporedu, dnevni boravak izgleda veći nego prije.

Here zahvaljujući means thanks to.

In modern Croatian, it is very often used like a preposition, and it normally takes the dative case:

• zahvaljujući novom rasporedu = thanks to the new layout/arrangement

It originally comes from the verb zahvaljivati (se), related to thanking, which helps explain why it has that meaning.

A useful learner note: zahvaljujući usually has a positive or beneficial tone, like English thanks to, not just neutral because of.

Because zahvaljujući requires the dative case.

The base form is:

• novi raspored = new layout / new arrangement

But after zahvaljujući, it changes to dative:

• novom rasporedu

So:

• zahvaljujući + dative
• zahvaljujući novom rasporedu

This is one of the most important grammar points in the sentence.

Raspored can mean several things depending on context, such as:

• schedule
• arrangement
• layout

In this sentence, because we are talking about a living room, the natural meaning is layout or arrangement of furniture/space.

So novi raspored here is not a timetable or schedule, but the new arrangement of the room.

Dnevni boravak is the standard Croatian expression for living room.

Literally, it is something like:

• dnevni = daily / daytime
• boravak = stay / being somewhere

But you should learn dnevni boravak as a fixed expression meaning living room.

You may also hear dnevna soba, which is another common way to say living room, though dnevni boravak is very standard.

Because it is the subject of the sentence.

The sentence structure is basically:

• dnevni boravak = the living room
• izgleda = looks/seems
• veći = bigger

So the thing that looks bigger is the living room, and subjects are normally in the nominative case.

Izgleda is the 3rd person singular present form of izgledati.

Here it means:

• looks
• appears
• seems

So:

• dnevni boravak izgleda veći = the living room looks bigger

Be careful: izgledati can also relate to physical appearance in other contexts, but in this sentence it means seem/look in the sense of visual impression.

Because veći agrees with dnevni boravak, which is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

The adjective must match that noun, so we get:

• veći = masculine singular nominative comparative

Compare:

• boravak je veći = the living room is bigger
• soba je veća = the room is bigger
• mjesto je veće = the place is bigger

So veći is chosen because boravak is masculine.

Yes. Veći means bigger or larger, and it is the comparative form of velik / veliki.

This is not formed in a simple regular way from velik; instead, Croatian uses the comparative stem:

• velik = big
• veći = bigger

This is a very common word, so it is worth memorizing directly.

Nego prije means than before.

It is made of:

• nego = than
• prije = before / earlier

So:

• veći nego prije = bigger than before

This is a common Croatian pattern for comparisons:

• bolji nego prije = better than before
• brže nego prije = faster than before

Both can appear in comparisons, but they are used differently.

With a full comparison clause or an idea like than before, Croatian often uses nego:

• veći nego prije = bigger than before

With nouns or pronouns, Croatian often uses od + genitive:

• veći od stola = bigger than the table
• stariji od mene = older than me

So in this sentence, nego prije is the natural choice.

The opening phrase Zahvaljujući novom rasporedu is an introductory phrase, and the comma separates it from the main clause:

• Zahvaljujući novom rasporedu,
  dnevni boravak izgleda veći nego prije.

In English, we also often use a comma after an introductory phrase like Thanks to the new layout, ...

In practice, punctuation can sometimes vary depending on style, but this comma is natural and standard here.

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible.

The given sentence is natural:

• Zahvaljujući novom rasporedu, dnevni boravak izgleda veći nego prije.

But you could also say:

• Dnevni boravak izgleda veći nego prije zahvaljujući novom rasporedu.

Both are grammatical. The original version puts emphasis first on the reason: thanks to the new layout.

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

So:

• dnevni boravak can mean a living room or the living room
• novi raspored can mean a new layout or the new layout

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, context makes it clear that we mean the living room and the new layout.

Sometimes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• zahvaljujući = thanks to, usually with a positive result
• zbog = because of / due to, more neutral and sometimes negative

So:

• Zahvaljujući novom rasporedu... sounds like the new layout is a good thing.
• Zbog novog rasporeda... is more neutral: because of the new layout.

Also, zbog takes the genitive, not the dative:

• zbog novog rasporeda

That is a different case pattern from:

• zahvaljujući novom rasporedu

No. In this sentence, prije is being used more like an adverb, meaning before / earlier.

So:

• nego prije = than before

But prije can also be a preposition in other contexts, in which case it takes the genitive:

• prije sastanka = before the meeting

So learners should know that prije can function in more than one way. Here, it simply means before in a general sense, without a following noun.