Ons is totaal klaar.

In Afrikaans, the verb is is used with all persons in the present tense of to be.

So:

• 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

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not change the form of is to am/are/is.

Ons means we or us, depending on context.

In this sentence, Ons is totaal klaar, it is the subject, so it means we.

Examples:

• Ons werk vandag. = We are working today.
• Hy sien ons. = He sees us.

So here, ons = we.

There actually is a word for are here: is.

English changes the verb:

• I am
• you are
• we are
• he is

Afrikaans keeps it simple and uses is for all of these in the present tense. So ons is is the normal Afrikaans equivalent of we are.

Totaal means totally or completely here. It strengthens klaar.

So totaal klaar means something like:

• totally finished
• completely done
• absolutely ready/finished

It is functioning like an adverb in this sentence, even though it looks very similar to English total.

Klaar can mean several related things depending on context:

• ready
• finished
• done

In Ons is totaal klaar, it usually means completely finished or totally done.

Other examples:

• Ek is klaar. = I am finished / I am done.
• Is jy klaar? = Are you ready? / Are you finished?
• Die kos is klaar. = The food is ready.

So klaar is a very common word with a range of meanings connected to completion or readiness.

Yes, this is normal Afrikaans word order for a main clause:

subject + verb + rest

So:

• Ons = subject
• is = verb
• totaal klaar = complement

This is very similar to English:

• We are totally finished.

Afrikaans main-clause word order is often straightforward like this.

Yes, absolutely.

Ons is klaar means:

• We are finished
• We are ready
• We’re done

Adding totaal makes it stronger:

• Ons is klaar = We’re done.
• Ons is totaal klaar = We’re totally done.

So totaal adds emphasis.

Yes. Depending on tone and context, Ons is totaal klaar can sound either neutral or emotional.

It can mean:

• simply we have finished everything
• or more strongly we are completely done
• and in some contexts even we’ve had enough or we’re finished

So the sentence can be practical, but it can also carry frustration or finality.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

Ons is totaal klaar
≈ ons iss toh-TAHL klahr

A few notes:

• ons sounds roughly like ons in English, but with a shorter vowel
• is is a short iss
• totaal has stress on the second syllable: toh-TAHL
• klaar has a long aa sound, somewhat like clahr

Pronunciation varies a bit by region and accent, but this approximation is a useful start.

There are other options. Afrikaans also uses words like:

• heeltemal = completely, entirely
• almal? no, that means everyone, so not here
• volledig = fully, completely

For this sentence, you might hear:

• Ons is totaal klaar.
• Ons is heeltemal klaar.

Both are natural, though heeltemal klaar may sound a bit more everyday in many contexts.

Yes. Klaar is very common in Afrikaans and appears in several patterns.

For example:

• Ek maak klaar. = I finish up.
• Hy het klaar geëet. = He has already eaten / He finished eating.
• Ons is klaar met die werk. = We are finished with the work.

So learners often meet klaar both:

1. after is: is klaar
2. with other verbs: maak klaar, het klaar ...

It is a very useful word to learn well.

Afrikaans comes from Dutch, but it has become much simpler in many areas of grammar.

One major simplification is verb conjugation. Where Dutch has more verb forms, Afrikaans usually uses one present-tense form:

• ek is
• ons is

This is one reason Afrikaans is often easier for English speakers to learn than Dutch in some respects. So Ons is totaal klaar is a good example of that simplification.