Ons gebruik die kruiskopskroewedraaier.

• Ons = we
• gebruik = use
• die = the
• kruiskopskroewedraaier = cross-head screwdriver / Phillips screwdriver

So the structure is:

subject + verb + object

That is very similar to English:

We + use + the cross-head screwdriver.

Yes. In Afrikaans, ons can mean both we and us.

• Ons gebruik die kruiskopskroewedraaier. = We use the cross-head screwdriver.
• Hy sien ons. = He sees us.

So unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the form between subject and object in this case. You understand the meaning from the sentence structure.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

Compare:

• Ek gebruik = I use
• Jy gebruik = you use
• Hy gebruik = he uses
• Ons gebruik = we use
• Hulle gebruik = they use

So gebruik stays the same. This is much simpler than English.

Die is the normal Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

A very important point: Afrikaans does not have different forms of the for grammatical gender like some other languages do. In most ordinary cases, you just use die.

Examples:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die huis = the house
• die skroewedraaier = the screwdriver

So in your sentence, die simply means the.

Because kruiskopskroewedraaier is treated as one compound noun.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, often joins nouns together into one long word. English often writes these as separate words, but Afrikaans commonly writes them as a single compound.

So:

• kruis = cross
• kop = head
• skroewedraaier = screwdriver

Together: kruiskopskroewedraaier

Since it is one noun, you only need one article:

• die kruiskopskroewedraaier

not something like separate the words inside it.

It is a compound noun made from smaller parts:

• kruis = cross
• kop = head
• skroef = screw
• draaier = turner/driver

Related base word:

• skroewedraaier = screwdriver

Then:

• kruiskop = cross-head
• kruiskopskroewedraaier = cross-head screwdriver

A useful comparison:

• platkopskroewedraaier = flat-head screwdriver

So Afrikaans is very happy to stack descriptive parts together into one long noun.

A rough learner-friendly breakdown is:

kruis-kops-kroe-we-draai-er

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• kruis sounds roughly like krace/krice with the Afrikaans ui sound, which does not match English exactly.
• sk in skroewe- is pronounced like sk in skip, not like English sh.
• draai sounds roughly like dry with a longer vowel.
• -er at the end is a light ending, not strongly stressed.

Stress is usually strongest earlier in the word, especially on the main compound parts.

If pronunciation is your goal, it often helps to practice it in chunks:

kruiskop + skroewedraaier

In many contexts, yes. Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either use or are using.

So Ons gebruik die kruiskopskroewedraaier can mean:

• We use the cross-head screwdriver
• We are using the cross-head screwdriver

Context usually makes the intended meaning clear.

If you want to be more explicitly progressive, Afrikaans can also use a construction like:

• Ons is besig om die kruiskopskroewedraaier te gebruik.

That is closer to We are busy using the cross-head screwdriver, but it is more emphatic and not always necessary.

Yes. This is the normal main-clause word order:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Ons (subject)
• gebruik (verb)
• die kruiskopskroewedraaier (object)

This is exactly what you would expect in a straightforward statement.

Afrikaans does have verb-second behavior, so if you move another element to the front, the verb still stays in second position:

• Vandag gebruik ons die kruiskopskroewedraaier.
  = Today we are using the cross-head screwdriver.

Notice that when Vandag moves to the front, gebruik still comes second, and ons moves after the verb.

Usually, that would sound unnatural if you mean the cross-head screwdriver.

Use die when you are talking about a specific, definite screwdriver:

• Ons gebruik die kruiskopskroewedraaier.
  = We use the cross-head screwdriver / We are using the cross-head screwdriver.

If you mean a screwdriver in a more general or indefinite sense, you would normally use ’n:

• Ons gebruik ’n kruiskopskroewedraaier.
  = We use a cross-head screwdriver.

So die and ’n work much like the and a/an in English.

Afrikaans often forms tense with helper verbs rather than changing the main verb itself.

Past:

• Ons het die kruiskopskroewedraaier gebruik.
• Literally: We have used the cross-head screwdriver
• In normal usage, this is also the usual way to say We used the cross-head screwdriver

Future:

• Ons sal die kruiskopskroewedraaier gebruik.
• We will use the cross-head screwdriver

So the main verb gebruik stays the same, and tense is shown by het or sal.

Kruiskopskroewedraaier is a correct and clear standard word for cross-head screwdriver.

In real life, speakers may also use shorter or more casual wording depending on context, especially if everyone already knows what tool is meant. But for a learner, kruiskopskroewedraaier is a very useful and transparent word because it shows how Afrikaans compounds work.

It also helps you recognize related tool vocabulary:

• skroef = screw
• skroewedraaier = screwdriver
• kruiskop = cross-head
• platkop = flat-head

So even though it is long, it is a very good word to learn.