Ons pak die kartondose uit.

Because uitpak is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

• The full verb is uitpak = to unpack
• In a main clause, the verb is split:
  • pak goes into the normal verb position
  • uit moves to the end

So:

• Ons pak die kartondose uit. = We unpack / are unpacking the cardboard boxes.

Compare that with the infinitive:

• Ons wil die kartondose uitpak. = We want to unpack the cardboard boxes.

And the past tense:

• Ons het die kartondose uitgepak. = We unpacked / have unpacked the cardboard boxes.

In a normal Afrikaans main clause, the finite verb usually comes early in the sentence, and with separable verbs the prefix or particle goes to the end.

So the pattern is:

• Subject + verb + object + separable part

That gives:

• Ons (subject)
• pak (verb)
• die kartondose (object)
• uit (separable part)

So Ons pak die kartondose uit is the natural word order.

Ons means we.

A useful thing for English speakers is that Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs: the verb usually does not change depending on the subject.

So:

• Ek pak uit = I unpack
• Jy pak uit = you unpack
• Hy pak uit = he unpacks
• Ons pak uit = we unpack
• Hulle pak uit = they unpack

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not add -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

Die means the.

A very important point is that Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular definite nouns
• plural definite nouns

So both of these use die:

• die doos = the box
• die dose = the boxes

Afrikaans does not change the definite article the way some other languages do.

Yes, kartondose is written as one word because Afrikaans usually writes compound nouns as a single word.

It is made up of:

• karton = cardboard
• dose = boxes

So:

• kartondoos = cardboard box
• kartondose = cardboard boxes

This is very common in Afrikaans. English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans often combines them.

The singular is kartondoos.

So:

• ’n kartondoos = a cardboard box
• die kartondoos = the cardboard box
• die kartondose = the cardboard boxes

The base noun is:

• doos = box
• dose = boxes

This is just how the noun doos forms its plural in Afrikaans.

• doos → dose

The spelling changes when the plural ending is added. This kind of vowel/spelling adjustment is normal in Afrikaans nouns.

So in the compound:

• kartondoos → kartondose

It is best to learn this as a vocabulary pattern rather than trying to force an English-style spelling.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present tense where English might use either:

• We unpack the cardboard boxes
• We are unpacking the cardboard boxes

So Ons pak die kartondose uit can describe:

• a current action
• a habitual action
• sometimes a near-future action, depending on context

If you really want to emphasize an ongoing action, Afrikaans can also use:

• Ons is besig om die kartondose uit te pak.
  = We are busy unpacking the cardboard boxes.

But the shorter sentence is completely normal.

Usually in a sentence like this, yes, pak ... uit means unpack.

More literally, it is something like pack out or take out while unpacking. In real usage, though, the natural English translation is usually unpack.

So:

• Ons pak die kartondose uit = We unpack / are unpacking the cardboard boxes

Context helps decide the best English translation.

Yes. That is also correct, and it puts more emphasis on the action being in progress.

Compare:

• Ons pak die kartondose uit.
  Neutral, simple, very common.

• Ons is besig om die kartondose uit te pak.
  More explicitly: We are busy unpacking the cardboard boxes.

English speakers often overuse the longer form because English uses am/is/are + -ing so much. In Afrikaans, the shorter present tense is often enough.

The normal past tense would be:

• Ons het die kartondose uitgepak.

Here is what changes:

• Afrikaans often forms the past with het + past participle
• The separable verb becomes one word again in the participle:
  • uitpak → uitgepak

So:

• present: Ons pak die kartondose uit.
• past: Ons het die kartondose uitgepak.

You would normally invert the subject and the verb:

• Pak ons die kartondose uit? = Are we unpacking the cardboard boxes? / Do we unpack the cardboard boxes?

That is a common way to form yes/no questions in Afrikaans.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• kar-ton-DOH-suh

Some helpful notes:

• karton sounds roughly like car-TON
• do in dose has a long o sound
• the final -se is pronounced like suh

And the full sentence is roughly:

• Ons pak die kar-ton-DOH-suh ut

The ui sound in uit is tricky for English speakers and does not have a perfect English equivalent, so it usually takes practice.