Ons is bereid.

In Afrikaans, the verb wees (to be) uses is in the present tense with all persons:

• ek is — I am
• jy is — you are
• hy/sy is — he/she is
• ons is — we are
• julle is — you all are
• hulle is — they are

So even though English says we are, Afrikaans says ons is.

Here, ons means we.

A useful thing to know is that ons can also mean us in Afrikaans. The form often stays the same, and the sentence structure tells you which meaning it has.

In Ons is bereid, it is the subject of the sentence, so it means we.

Bereid is an adjective here. It describes the subject ons.

So the structure is:

• Ons — subject
• is — linking verb
• bereid — adjective/predicative complement

This is similar to English We are ready/willing, where the final word describes the subject rather than naming an action.

Usually bereid means willing, and sometimes prepared depending on context.

For example:

• Ons is bereid om te help. — We are willing to help.
• Hy is bereid om te betaal. — He is willing to pay.

If you want to say ready in the sense of being finished or set to begin, Afrikaans often uses gereed instead:

• Ons is gereed. — We are ready.

So bereid and gereed can overlap a little in English translation, but bereid often has more of the idea of willingness.

Afrikaans adjectives used after is usually do not change for number or person.

So you get:

• Ek is bereid.
• Ons is bereid.
• Hulle is bereid.

The adjective stays bereid each time.

This is simpler than in some languages where adjectives have to agree with the subject.

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

Subject + verb + complement

So:

• Ons — subject
• is — verb
• bereid — complement

This is very similar to English We are willing.

The negative is:

Ons is nie bereid nie.

Afrikaans normally uses a double nie in standard negation:

• one nie after the verb or later in the clause
• another nie at the end of the clause

So:

• Ons is bereid. — We are willing.
• Ons is nie bereid nie. — We are not willing.

Yes. A very common pattern is:

bereid om te + infinitive

For example:

• Ons is bereid om te help. — We are willing to help.
• Ek is bereid om te wag. — I am willing to wait.
• Hulle is bereid om saam te werk. — They are willing to cooperate.

This is one of the most useful ways to use bereid in real sentences.

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

ons is buh-RATE

A few notes:

• ons sounds roughly like ons in English, but shorter and flatter
• is is like iss
• bereid has the stress on the second syllable: be-REID
• the last part -eid sounds somewhat like ate or eight, depending on accent and how narrowly you imitate it

A more Afrikaans-like approximation would be:

awns iss buh-RAYT

It is completely normal and neutral.

Ons is bereid sounds natural in both everyday and formal Afrikaans, depending on context. It can be used in:

• conversation
• business language
• official statements
• written communication

For example:

• Ons is bereid om ’n oplossing te vind. — We are willing to find a solution.

So it is a very useful and standard structure to learn.