Learn Hardcore Russian: Все вроде довольны новым распорядком. - Everyone seems pleased with the new schedule.

вроде here is a colloquial particle (often classified as an adverbial particle) meaning “it seems,” “kind of,” or “apparently.” It softens the statement, indicating that the speaker is not 100% certain but goes by appearances or hearsay.

Why is новым распорядком in the instrumental case?

In Russian, the adjective доволен/довольны (“satisfied”) governs the instrumental case for the thing one is satisfied with. So you say довольны новым распорядком literally “(they) are satisfied by/with the new schedule.”

Why is довольны in the plural form?

Because Все (“everyone” or “all”) is a plural subject. In Russian, predicate adjectives agree in number (and gender) with their subjects. Hence Все… довольны (3rd-person plural).

Why isn’t there a preposition like с before новым распорядком?

Some Russian adjectives and participles (like доволен/довольны) directly take the instrumental case without any preposition. You don’t say с новым распорядком here; the instrumental ending itself expresses “with.”

Can I replace вроде with кажется or как будто? What’s the nuance?

Yes, you can say:
• Кажется, все довольны новым распорядком. – more neutral, slightly more formal than вроде.
• Как будто все довольны новым распорядком. – leans toward “it’s as if everyone’s satisfied,” implying a comparison or doubt.
вроде is the most colloquial and carries a mild “just from what I see/hear” flavor.

Is the word order in Все вроде довольны новым распорядком fixed? Can I move elements for emphasis?

Russian word order is relatively flexible. You could say, for example:
• Вроде все довольны новым распорядком. (placing вроде first puts slight extra focus on the “seemingly” aspect)
• Все довольны новым распорядком, вроде. (ending with вроде sounds more informal/colloquial)
However, swapping новым распорядком with вроде in the middle (e.g. Все довольны вроде новым распорядком) would sound awkward. The key is to keep the instrumental phrase довольны новым распорядком intact.