Ovaj raspored je samo privremen; ubuduće ćemo ručati ranije, jer trenutno ručamo prekasno.

Because raspored is a masculine singular noun, and ovaj must agree with it in gender, number, and case.

Here the phrase is in the nominative singular because it is the subject of the sentence.

Forms of this in the nominative singular:

• ovaj for masculine
• ova for feminine
• ovo for neuter

So:

• ovaj raspored = this schedule
• ova knjiga = this book
• ovo vrijeme = this time/weather

Here privremen is a predicate adjective after je.

Croatian often uses:

• the long form adjective before a noun: privremeni raspored
• the short form after to be: raspored je privremen

So:

• privremeni raspored = a temporary schedule
• raspored je privremen = the schedule is temporary

Privremeno would be wrong here because that is not the masculine form needed to agree with raspored. It can be an adverb in other contexts, but not in this sentence.

Samo means only or just.

In Ovaj raspored je samo privremen, it limits the statement:

• privremen = temporary
• samo privremen = only temporary / just temporary

It helps soften or clarify the idea: the schedule is temporary, not permanent.

Ubuduće means from now on, in the future, or going forward.

It is an adverb, and it refers to what will happen from this point onward.

So:

• ubuduće ćemo ručati ranije = from now on / going forward, we will have lunch earlier

It is slightly different from u budućnosti, which often means in the future in a broader, more general sense.

This is the normal future tense in Croatian, often called Future I.

It is formed with:

• a present-tense form of htjeti used as an auxiliary
• the infinitive of the main verb

So:

• ćemo = we will
• ručati = to have lunch
• ćemo ručati = we will have lunch

In this sentence, ćemo comes after ubuduće because Croatian clitics usually go in the second position of the clause:

• Ubuduće ćemo ručati ranije.

If the verb came first, you could also see:

• Ručat ćemo ranije.

In standard Croatian, ručati ćemo is not the preferred written form.

Ručati is a very common Croatian verb meaning to have lunch or to eat lunch.

So Croatian can express the idea in one verb:

• ručati = to have lunch

You can also say jesti ručak, but ručati is often more natural and compact.

Similar verbs include:

• doručkovati = to have breakfast
• večerati = to have dinner

Ranije is the comparative adverb of rano.

• rano = early
• ranije = earlier

Since it describes when the action happens, Croatian uses an adverb, not an adjective.

So:

• ručati rano = to have lunch early
• ručati ranije = to have lunch earlier

There is no agreement here with gender or number because adverbs do not agree with nouns.

Jer means because and introduces the reason:

• ubuduće ćemo ručati ranije = we will have lunch earlier
• jer trenutno ručamo prekasno = because we are currently having lunch too late

So jer connects the decision with its reason.

You could also use zato što in many contexts, but jer is short, common, and very natural here.

Croatian does not have a separate compulsory present continuous form like English does.

The present tense ručamo can mean:

• we have lunch
• we are having lunch

The context tells you which meaning is intended.

Here, trenutno makes it clear that the sentence is talking about the current situation, so trenutno ručamo prekasno means we are currently having lunch too late or at the moment we eat lunch too late.

Trenutno means currently, at the moment, or right now.

In this sentence it is an adverb, modifying the verb ručamo:

• trenutno ručamo = we currently have lunch / we are currently having lunch

It helps contrast the present situation with the future plan introduced by ubuduće.

Prekasno means too late.

It is built from:

• kasno = late
• prefix pre- = too, excessively, overly

So:

• kasno = late
• prekasno = too late

This pattern is very common in Croatian:

• preskupo = too expensive
• predugo = too long
• prebrzo = too fast

Here prekasno is an adverb describing ručamo:

• ručamo prekasno = we have lunch too late

The semicolon separates two closely related independent parts:

• Ovaj raspored je samo privremen
• ubuduće ćemo ručati ranije, jer trenutno ručamo prekasno

It shows a stronger break than a comma, but a weaker break than a full stop.

The two ideas are clearly connected:

1. the current schedule is temporary
2. the reason is that lunch is currently too late, so it will be earlier in the future

A full stop would also be possible, but the semicolon neatly keeps the ideas together.