Ons lees internasionale nuus.

Here ons means we.

Afrikaans ons can mean we or us, depending on its role in the sentence. In Ons lees internasionale nuus, it is the subject, so it means we.

Yes. Lees means read.

In this sentence, it means read in the present tense: we read.

A useful thing for English speakers is that Afrikaans verbs usually do not change form for different subjects in the present tense:

• ek lees — I read
• jy lees — you read
• ons lees — we read
• hulle lees — they read

So unlike English, you do not get forms like reads for he/she in the present tense.

This is the normal word order for a simple main clause in Afrikaans:

subject + verb + object

So:

• Ons = subject
• lees = verb
• internasionale nuus = object

That makes it very similar to English We read international news.

Because the adjective comes before the noun.

In Afrikaans, many adjectives take an -e ending when they are used directly before a noun. So:

• internasionaal = international
• internasionale nuus = international news

This is called the attributive form of the adjective.

Compare:

• Die nuus is internasionaal. — The news is international.
  Here the adjective stands after the verb, so it is internasionaal.
• internasionale nuus — international news
  Here it stands before the noun, so it is internasionale.

Because Afrikaans often leaves out an article when speaking generally, especially with uncountable nouns.

Nuus is usually treated as an uncountable noun, like news in English. So:

• Ons lees internasionale nuus. — We read international news.

If you want to make it specific, you can add die:

• Ons lees die internasionale nuus. — We read the international news.

So the sentence without die sounds more general.

Nuus is usually treated as an uncountable singular noun.

That is similar to English news, which looks plural but is usually grammatically singular:

• The news is interesting.

In Afrikaans:

• Die nuus is interessant.

So in internasionale nuus, you should think of nuus as a mass noun, not an ordinary plural count noun.

Yes. It is a clear cognate.

• English: international
• Afrikaans: internasionaal / internasionale

This is very common in Afrikaans: many formal or academic words look similar to English, though the spelling may differ a bit.

Lees is pronounced roughly like lace in many English accents, though you should not rely on English pronunciation too exactly.

The ee in Afrikaans often sounds like a long ay-type vowel. So lees does not sound like English less.

Nuus is pronounced roughly like news, but with an Afrikaans vowel quality.

A helpful approximation for an English speaker is something like nyoos or noos, depending on accent and teaching style. The exact sound can vary, but it is definitely closer to news than to nuss.

Yes.

That would mean We read the international news, with a more specific sense. For example, maybe you mean a particular news bulletin, newspaper section, or known set of reports.

So both are possible:

• Ons lees internasionale nuus. — We read international news.
• Ons lees die internasionale nuus. — We read the international news.

The version without die is more general.

In a basic main clause, yes, if we is the topic and subject.

But Afrikaans often puts another element first for emphasis or style, and then the verb still stays in second position. For example:

• Vandag lees ons internasionale nuus. — Today we read international news.

So ons does not always have to be first, but in a simple neutral sentence, putting it first is the most natural choice.

It can do both, just like English We read international news.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• We are reading international news (less commonly understood this way without context)
• We read international news as a regular habit
• We do read international news

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might sometimes prefer are reading. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

It would be:

Ons lees nie internasionale nuus nie. — We do not read international news.

Afrikaans usually uses double nie for negation:

• one nie after the verb or main part of the sentence
• one nie at the end

That is one of the most important Afrikaans grammar patterns to learn.