Learn Hardcore Greek: Λόγω της βροχής η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα. - Because of the rain, the distance to the village seems longer today.

Λόγω της βροχής = because of the rain (the actual rain we’re experiencing now; concrete, specific)
Λόγω βροχής = because of rain (more general, like “rainy conditions” in general, or often in written/formal style)

In everyday spoken Greek, with a specific, real rain outside, Λόγω της βροχής is the most natural.

What is the subject of the verb φαίνεται in this sentence?

The subject is η απόσταση (the distance).

η απόσταση (subject, nominative singular, feminine)
φαίνεται (3rd person singular: it seems/appears)

So:
Λόγω της βροχής η απόσταση … φαίνεται …
= Because of the rain, the distance … seems …

Is the word order fixed? Can I move Λόγω της βροχής and σήμερα around?

Greek word order is flexible. You could say, for example:

Λόγω της βροχής η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα. (original)
Η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα λόγω της βροχής.
Σήμερα, λόγω της βροχής, η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη.

All are grammatically correct. Changes in order mostly affect emphasis, not meaning:

Starting with Λόγω της βροχής emphasizes the cause.
Starting with Σήμερα emphasizes today as a special case.

What exactly does μέχρι mean here, and why is it μέχρι το χωριό and not something else?

Μέχρι means up to / as far as / until in the sense of a limit or end point.

μέχρι το χωριό = as far as the village / to the village

It takes the accusative case, so we have:

το χωριό (neuter, accusative singular)

Compare:

στο χωριό = in/at/to the village (more like “to the village” as a destination, or the location itself)
μέχρι το χωριό = up to the village (focuses on the full length of the distance leading there)

Here, talking about distance, μέχρι το χωριό is very natural.

Why is it το χωριό and not του χωριού or something else?

Because after μέχρι, Greek uses the accusative case:

το χωριό (accusative) = to/as far as the village

Του χωριού would be genitive (of the village), which doesn’t fit the preposition μέχρι here.

What does φαίνεται mean exactly, and how is it different from είναι?

Φαίνεται comes from φαίνομαι and means seems / appears / looks.

φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη = it seems/appears longer
είναι πιο μεγάλη = it is longer (a fact)

Here, φαίνεται suggests a subjective impression:

Because of the rain, the distance feels / seems longer (even if the real distance hasn’t changed).

Some common patterns:

Φαίνεται κουρασμένος. = He seems tired.
Φαίνεται δύσκολο. = It seems difficult.

Why do we say πιο μεγάλη instead of μεγαλύτερη? Are both correct?

Both are correct. Greek has two ways to form comparatives:

Analytic: πιο + adjective
- πιο μεγάλη = more big / bigger
Synthetic: special comparative form of the adjective
- μεγαλύτερη = bigger

So you can say:

Η απόσταση φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα.
Η απόσταση φαίνεται μεγαλύτερη σήμερα.

Both are natural. The πιο + adjective form is very common in modern Greek and often feels slightly more colloquial and neutral.

Why is it μεγάλη (feminine) and not μεγάλο or μεγάλος?

The adjective μεγάλη agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it describes.

η απόσταση = feminine, singular, nominative
So the adjective must also be feminine, singular, nominative: μεγάλη

Forms of the adjective:

μεγάλος (masc.)
μεγάλη (fem.)
μεγάλο (neut.)

Because we describe η απόσταση, we need μεγάλη.

Could we say πιο μακριά instead of πιο μεγάλη?

You could, but it would change the phrasing slightly.

πιο μεγάλη (απόσταση) = a longer distance
πιο μακριά = farther (in terms of location)

Common alternatives:

Η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα.
Το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μακριά σήμερα.

Both are correct; they just focus on different things:

One focuses on the distance being longer.
The other focuses on the village seeming farther away.

Why is σήμερα placed at the end? Can it go somewhere else?

Yes, σήμερα is flexible in position. All of these are possible:

Λόγω της βροχής η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα.
Λόγω της βροχής σήμερα η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη.
Σήμερα η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη λόγω της βροχής.

Placing σήμερα at the end is very natural in Greek and keeps the time reference as a kind of final detail. Moving it to the beginning (Σήμερα…) adds emphasis to “today (as opposed to other days)”.

Is Λόγω related to the noun λόγος? And is a lowercase λόγω different?

Yes, Λόγω is historically related to λόγος (reason / word / speech).

Λόγω (preposition) = because of / due to
λόγο (accusative of λόγος) = reason, argument, account

Example with the noun:

Για ποιον λόγο; = For what reason?

In your sentence, Λόγω is just the preposition λόγω written with a capital Λ because it’s at the beginning of the sentence. In the middle of a sentence you’d usually see λόγω (lowercase).

Could I use another expression instead of Λόγω της βροχής, like εξαιτίας της βροχής?

Yes, there are several near‑synonyms:

Λόγω της βροχής = because of the rain
Εξαιτίας της βροχής = because of / on account of the rain
Από τη βροχή = from/because of the rain (more colloquial in some contexts)

All of these are possible at the start of this sentence:

Εξαιτίας της βροχής η απόσταση μέχρι το χωριό φαίνεται πιο μεγάλη σήμερα.

Λόγω της βροχής is very common and slightly more neutral/formal than από τη βροχή.