Ons rooster malvalekkers by die kampvuur.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Ons = we
• rooster = roast
• malvalekkers = marshmallows
• by = by / at
• die kampvuur = the campfire

So the full sentence is We roast marshmallows by the campfire.

Yes, ons usually means we in Afrikaans.

Examples:

• Ons eet. = We eat.
• Ons gaan huis toe. = We are going home.

Unlike English, Afrikaans also uses ons in some contexts where English would use us, especially in informal or older usage, but for a learner, the most important meaning is we.

Yes, this can be confusing.

In Afrikaans, rooster as a verb means to roast / to toast / to grill, depending on context.

So here:

• Ons rooster malvalekkers = We roast marshmallows

Afrikaans also has many words that look familiar to English speakers but mean something different or function differently. So even though rooster looks like the English noun rooster (the bird), in this sentence it is clearly a verb.

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs. In the present tense, the verb usually does not change depending on the subject.

So you get:

• Ek rooster = I roast
• Jy rooster = you roast
• Ons rooster = we roast
• Hulle rooster = they roast

This is one of the nice things about Afrikaans: there is very little verb conjugation compared with many other languages.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either the simple present or the present continuous.

So:

• Ons rooster malvalekkers can mean We roast marshmallows or We are roasting marshmallows, depending on context.

Afrikaans does have ways to emphasize an ongoing action, but in everyday language the simple form is very common.

Malvalekkers means marshmallows, and here it is plural.

The singular is:

• ’n malvalekker = a marshmallow

The plural is:

• malvalekkers = marshmallows

So:

• Ek eet ’n malvalekker. = I am eating a marshmallow.
• Ons rooster malvalekkers. = We roast marshmallows.

Because the sentence is talking about marshmallows in a general sense, not a specific known set.

• Ons rooster malvalekkers = We roast marshmallows
• Ons rooster die malvalekkers = We roast the marshmallows

So if you want to refer to specific marshmallows that have already been mentioned, you would use die.

By die kampvuur most naturally means by the campfire or at the campfire.

• by often covers meanings like by, at, and sometimes near, depending on context.
• die kampvuur = the campfire

So the phrase suggests location: the roasting is happening at or around the campfire.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

So:

• die kampvuur = the campfire

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses die for all genders and both singular and plural definite nouns.

Examples:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kinders = the children

So die is much simpler than articles in many other languages.

Yes, kampvuur is one word.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, very often forms compound nouns as a single word.

• kamp = camp
• vuur = fire
• kampvuur = campfire

This is very normal in Afrikaans.

Other examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• sonlig = sunlight

The basic word order here is the normal Afrikaans main-clause order:

Subject + Verb + Object + Other information

So:

• Ons = subject
• rooster = verb
• malvalekkers = object
• by die kampvuur = place/location phrase

This is very similar to English:

• We roast marshmallows by the campfire.

Yes, you might hear that too, depending on context.

• rooster = roast/toast
• braai = grill / barbecue / cook over coals

For marshmallows over a fire, rooster is very natural because it focuses on roasting them. Braai is also possible in some contexts, especially in South African usage, but rooster fits very well here.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• Ons: sounds a bit like ons in fonts, but shorter and rounder
• rooster: roughly ROO-stir or ROO-ster, with a rolled or tapped r in many accents
• malvalekkers: roughly mahl-vah-LEK-ers
• kampvuur: roughly KAHMP-fyur or KAHMP-fee-ur, depending on accent

A few notes:

• Afrikaans r is often stronger than English r
• aa is usually a broad long vowel
• uu and eu sounds can be difficult for English speakers and may vary by accent

The most important thing at first is to say the words clearly and keep the stress roughly right.