Ons skuif die leer sonder dat dit val.

Ons means we in this sentence.

It is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence. In the middle of a sentence, it would normally be ons.

Afrikaans ons can also mean us, depending on the sentence:

• Ons skuif die leer. = We move the ladder.
• Hy sien ons. = He sees us.

Skuif means move, shift, or slide, depending on context.

In Ons skuif die leer, it means we move the ladder.

A useful thing for English speakers to notice is that Afrikaans verbs do not change form the way English verbs do:

• Ek skuif = I move
• Jy skuif = you move
• Ons skuif = we move

So skuif stays the same.

Here, die leer means the ladder.

The word leer can be confusing because it can mean different things in Afrikaans, depending on context:

• leer = ladder
• leer = learn
• leer = leather

In this sentence, die shows that leer is being used as a noun, and the meaning is clearly ladder.

Die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

So:

• die leer = the ladder

Afrikaans does not change the for gender, so you just use die. Unlike some other languages, you do not have to learn different forms like masculine/feminine/neuter articles for nouns.

Sonder dat means without ... followed by a full clause, often something like without ... happening or without the fact that ...

So:

• sonder dat dit val = without it falling / without it falling over

It is used because the sentence after it has its own subject and verb:

• dit = subject
• val = verb

A helpful comparison:

• sonder om te + infinitive is used when the subject stays the same and the structure is more like without doing
• sonder dat + clause is used when you introduce a full clause

For example:

• Hy het weggegaan sonder om te praat. = He left without speaking.
• Ons skuif die leer sonder dat dit val. = We move the ladder without it falling.

Because dat introduces a subordinate clause, and in Afrikaans subordinate clauses the verb normally goes to the end.

So:

• main clause: Ons skuif die leer
• subordinate clause: dat dit val

This is a very important Afrikaans word-order rule.

Compare:

• Dit val. = It falls.
  
  • normal/main clause order
• ... dat dit val. = ... that it falls.
  
  • subordinate clause, so the verb goes to the end

Dit refers to the ladder.

Even though leer takes the article die, the pronoun for an inanimate thing is often dit = it.

So:

• die leer = the ladder
• dit = it

In this sentence, sonder dat dit val means without it falling, where it is the ladder.

Because val here is a finite verb inside a subordinate clause introduced by dat.

You use:

• dat dit val = that it falls

You do not use te after dat in this kind of clause.

Te is used with infinitive structures, for example:

• om te val = to fall

But here the structure is not an infinitive phrase. It is a full clause:

• dit = subject
• val = finite verb

So dat dit val is correct.

It can mean both, depending on context.

With a ladder, val will often naturally be understood as fall or fall over, because that is what a ladder typically does if it loses balance.

So in natural English, the sentence might be understood as:

• We move the ladder without it falling.
• We move the ladder without it falling over.

Both capture the idea well.

Yes. Skuif can often be translated as move, shift, or slide.

Which English word sounds best depends on the situation:

• move the ladder = general
• shift the ladder = move it slightly
• slide the ladder = move it along a surface

So We slide the ladder without it falling can be a good translation if the context suggests that kind of movement.

Yes, it is natural and grammatically correct.

It has a very typical Afrikaans structure:

• Ons skuif die leer = main clause
• sonder dat dit val = subordinate clause explaining what does not happen

A native speaker would understand it easily.

If the context made it clear that the ladder might tip over, someone might also choose a slightly more explicit wording in some situations, but the sentence as given is perfectly normal.