Ons lees die ekonomiese verslag.

Ons is the Afrikaans word for we when it is the subject of the sentence, as in Ons lees ...

It can also mean us in other contexts, for example after a verb or preposition. Afrikaans does not change the form the way English does with we/us.

So in this sentence, ons is the subject and means we.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change according to the subject.

So you get:

• Ek lees — I read
• Jy lees — you read
• Ons lees — we read
• Hulle lees — they read

This is much simpler than English, where you have forms like I read but he reads. In Afrikaans, the verb usually stays the same.

In a sentence like this, lees normally means the present tense, and it can cover both:

• we read
• we are reading

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either read or are reading. Context usually tells you which one is meant.

If you want to be more explicitly progressive, Afrikaans can use forms like is besig om te lees, but that is not necessary here.

Die is the definite article, so it usually means the.

A very important point for English speakers: Afrikaans uses die for:

• singular nouns
• plural nouns
• all genders

So unlike languages such as German or Dutch, you do not need to learn different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

In this sentence, die ekonomiese verslag means the economic report.

This is because the adjective comes before the noun.

In Afrikaans, many adjectives take an -e ending when they are used directly before a noun. This is called the attributive form.

So:

• ekonomies can be used in other adjective positions
• ekonomiese verslag = economic report

You will often see this pattern:

• 'n groot huis — a big house
• die nuwe boek — the new book
• die ekonomiese verslag — the economic report

So ekonomiese is the expected form before verslag.

This sentence has the basic Afrikaans main-clause word order:

Subject + Verb + Object

So:

• Ons = subject
• lees = verb
• die ekonomiese verslag = object

That is very similar to normal English word order in a simple statement.

A useful thing to remember is that Afrikaans is a verb-second language in main clauses. In this sentence, the subject comes first, so the verb naturally comes second.

No. Afrikaans does not need an extra helping verb here.

English often says:

• We read
• We are reading

But Afrikaans can simply say:

• Ons lees

So there is no separate word for are in this sentence.

Lees is pronounced roughly like lace in many English accents, but with a clear s sound at the end.

A simple guide:

• lee-ss

The ee is a long vowel sound.

Be careful not to pronounce it like English leez with a z sound at the end. In Afrikaans, it ends with a clear s.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

Ons lees die ekonomiese verslag
ons lace dee eh-koh-noh-MEE-seh fer-SLAKH

A few notes:

• Ons: the o is short, roughly like on in English, though not exactly the same.
• lees: like lace
• die: usually sounds like dee
• ekonomiese: stress is usually on MIE
• verslag: the last sound is the guttural g/ch sound common in Afrikaans and Dutch

If that final sound in verslag is difficult, that is very normal for English speakers.

Verslag is a noun meaning report.

In this sentence it is singular, because it refers to the economic report.

A useful extra point: Afrikaans nouns do not have grammatical gender that affects the article. So you do not need to memorize a masculine/feminine/neuter article with verslag.

Yes, but it would mean something different.

• die ekonomiese verslag = the economic report
• 'n ekonomiese verslag = an economic report

So the difference is the same as the versus an in English.

In your sentence, die shows that a specific report is meant.

By itself, ons lees normally means we read or we are reading.

If you want let's read, Afrikaans more often says:

• Kom ons lees — let's read

So learners should not automatically assume that ons + verb means a suggestion. In this sentence, it is just a normal statement.

Not especially. Afrikaans capitalization is quite similar to English in this kind of sentence.

• The first word of the sentence is capitalized: Ons
• Common nouns and adjectives are not capitalized: ekonomiese verslag

So the capitalization in Ons lees die ekonomiese verslag. is completely normal.