Sastanak počinje za deset minuta, a moj autobus ove nedelje često kasni.

In Serbian, the present tense is very often used for a scheduled or expected future event, especially when the time is already clear from context.

So:

Sastanak počinje za deset minuta
literally uses a present form, but it means The meeting starts in ten minutes.

This is very natural in Serbian, just like in English when you say The meeting starts in ten minutes instead of The meeting will start in ten minutes.

A future form like će početi is also possible, but počinje sounds very normal for timetabled or imminent events.

Za deset minuta means in ten minutes.

Here, za is used to show that something will happen after a certain amount of time has passed.

So:

• za deset minuta = in ten minutes
• za sat vremena = in an hour
• za dva dana = in two days

This is different from talking about duration:

• deset minuta = ten minutes as a length of time
• za deset minuta = in ten minutes, after ten minutes from now

After numbers like pet, šest, deset, dvadeset and so on, Serbian normally uses the noun in the genitive plural.

That is why you get:

• pet minuta
• deset minuta
• dvadeset minuta

So minuta is the correct form after deset.

This is a very common pattern in Serbian and one that English speakers usually need some time to get used to.

Here it means week.

The word nedelja can mean either:

• Sunday
• week

Context tells you which one is meant.

In this sentence, ove nedelje clearly means this week, because it describes the time period during which the bus is often late.

If Serbian wanted to say on Sunday, you would more commonly see something like:

• u nedelju = on Sunday

So:

• ove nedelje = this week
• u nedelju = on Sunday

Ove nedelje is in the genitive, and Serbian often uses the genitive for certain time expressions without a preposition.

So:

• ove nedelje = this week
• ovog meseca = this month
• ove godine = this year

The base form is ova nedelja, but in this time expression it becomes ove nedelje.

For learners, it is often easiest to remember ove nedelje as a fixed time phrase meaning this week.

Because kasniti is already a full verb meaning to be late / to run late.

So Serbian does not need a separate word for is here.

• Autobus kasni = The bus is late
• literally, it is more like The bus late-runs

This is different from English, where you usually say is late with the verb to be plus an adjective.

In Serbian, kasniti does that job by itself.

A is a conjunction that often means something like:

• and
• while
• whereas
• sometimes even a mild but

In this sentence, it links two related ideas:

• the meeting starts soon
• the bus has been often late this week

So a gives a slight sense of contrast or tension between the two facts.

It is softer than ali (but), but it is not just a plain i (and) either.

A natural English translation might use:

• and
• but
• while

depending on the tone.

This is normal and natural.

Moj autobus does not have to mean you literally own the bus. It can simply mean:

• the bus I take
• my usual bus
• the bus relevant to me right now

English does something similar in everyday speech:

• I missed my bus
• My train is late

You do not own the bus or train there either. It just means the one connected with your trip.

Kasni comes from kasniti, an imperfective verb. It is used for:

• an ongoing situation
• a repeated habit
• a general fact

That fits this sentence well, because često means often, so the idea is habitual:

moj autobus ove nedelje često kasni
= my bus is often late this week

Zakasniti is usually perfective, and it more often refers to a specific completed instance of being late, for example:

• Autobus je danas zakasnio. = The bus was late today / arrived late today.

So kasni is the better choice here because the sentence is about repeated lateness, not one single finished event.

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, although some orders sound more neutral than others.

The original sentence is very natural:

Sastanak počinje za deset minuta, a moj autobus ove nedelje često kasni.

But you could also say:

• Sastanak počinje za deset minuta, a ove nedelje moj autobus često kasni.
• Sastanak počinje za deset minuta, a moj autobus često kasni ove nedelje.

The meaning stays similar, but the emphasis changes a little:

• ove nedelje earlier = stronger emphasis on this week
• često earlier or later = slightly different focus

For a learner, the original order is a good, natural model to copy.