Learn Hardcore Croatian: Čini mi se da prezentacija sada zvuči bolje nego jutros. - It seems to me that the presentation sounds better now than this morning.

Breakdown of Čini mi se da prezentacija sada zvuči bolje nego jutros.

What does čini mi se mean, and is it a fixed expression?

Yes, čini mi se is a very common expression. It means it seems to me or I get the impression that.

Literally:

But you should learn čini mi se as a whole chunk, because native speakers use it very naturally to give an opinion in a softer, less direct way.

So Čini mi se da... is a very common pattern meaning It seems to me that...

Why is it mi and not ja?

Because mi is the dative form of ja.

Croatian uses the dative for the person who something seems to:

So:

You do not use ja here, because ja is nominative, and this structure requires dative.