Ons lees die term.

Ons means we here.

A useful thing to know is that ons can also mean us in other sentences, but in this sentence it comes before the verb lees, so it is clearly the subject: we.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form for different persons in the present tense.

So you get:

• ek lees — I read
• jy lees — you read
• hy/sy lees — he/she reads
• ons lees — we read
• hulle lees — they read

That is much simpler than English, where you have he reads but we read.

Yes. In many contexts, the simple present in Afrikaans can cover both ideas.

So Ons lees die term can mean:

• We read the term
• We are reading the term

If you really want to stress that the action is in progress right now, Afrikaans often uses a longer structure such as Ons is besig om die term te lees.

Here, die means the.

So die term = the term.

A few helpful points:

• die is the normal definite article in Afrikaans
• it does not change for gender
• it is used with both singular and plural nouns

So Afrikaans is simpler than languages that have different forms for masculine, feminine, or neuter nouns.

Yes, term is basically a cognate of the English word term.

Its exact meaning depends on context. It can refer to things like:

• an academic term
• a technical term
• a fixed period of time

So the word itself is familiar to English speakers, but you still need context to know exactly which kind of term is meant.

Yes. This sentence uses the straightforward order:

subject + verb + object

So:

• Ons — subject
• lees — verb
• die term — object

That is very similar to English: We read the term.

One extra note: Afrikaans often keeps the verb in the second position in main clauses, so word order can shift if another element comes first. For example:

• Vandag lees ons die term. — Today we read/are reading the term.

Usually no, not if you mean a specific term.

Ons lees die term means We read the term.

If you remove die, the sentence usually sounds incomplete or unnatural. If you mean a term, you would normally use 'n:

• Ons lees 'n term. — We read a term.

So the article matters, just as it often does in English.

A rough learner-friendly pronunciation is:

ons lease dee term

More specifically:

• Ons — roughly like onss
• lees — roughly like lease as a first approximation
• die — dee
• term — similar to English term, though the r may sound clearer or more rolled depending on the speaker

This is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

You would usually say:

Ons lees nie die term nie.

Afrikaans commonly uses a two-part negative with nie ... nie.

So:

• Ons lees die term. — We read / are reading the term.
• Ons lees nie die term nie. — We do not read / are not reading the term.

That double nie pattern is one of the most important things to get used to in Afrikaans.