Ons berei die skriftelike vertoë voor.

Because the full verb is voorberei (to prepare), and it is a separable verb.

In a normal main clause, Afrikaans splits this kind of verb:

• Ons berei die skriftelike vertoë voor.

A useful pattern is:

subject + finite verb + object + separated particle

So here:

• Ons = subject
• berei = verb part in second position
• die skriftelike vertoë = object
• voor = the separated part

If you use the infinitive, the parts stay together:

• om die skriftelike vertoë voor te berei

The dictionary form is voorberei.

Learners often see berei ... voor in a sentence and wonder whether berei is the whole verb. In this case, it is not. You need to read berei and voor together as one verb: voorberei.

Because it is an adjective placed before a noun.

The basic form is skriftelik (written / in writing), but when an adjective comes before a noun in Afrikaans, it very often takes -e:

• skriftelik = base form
• skriftelike vertoë = written submissions/representations

Compare:

• Die vertoë is skriftelik. = The submissions are written.
• die skriftelike vertoë = the written submissions

So:

• before the noun: usually -e
• after the noun / after a linking verb: usually the base form

Because Afrikaans uses die for the in both singular and plural.

Unlike English, where the form stays the same anyway, learners sometimes expect some extra plural marking in the article. But Afrikaans is simple here:

• die boek = the book
• die boeke = the books
• die vertoë = the submissions/representations

So die does not change for number or gender.

Vertoë is a fairly formal word. In contexts like administration, law, or official communication, it often means something like:

• representations
• submissions
• formal statements made to an authority

So this is not the most casual everyday vocabulary. It sounds official and document-related, which fits well with skriftelike.

The diaeresis on ë shows that the vowels should be pronounced in separate syllables, not blended into one.

So vertoë should be read with a break before the final ë sound, roughly like:

• ver-TOO-uh

The exact pronunciation will depend on accent, but the important point is that the ë signals separation, not a single smooth vowel sound.

Yes. berei is in the present tense.

In Afrikaans, the simple present can often cover several meanings that English divides up:

• we prepare
• we are preparing
• sometimes even we do prepare, depending on context

So Ons berei die skriftelike vertoë voor could mean either we prepare the written submissions or we are preparing the written submissions, depending on the situation.

Because Afrikaans does not need an auxiliary like English does in this kind of sentence.

English often uses:

• we are preparing

Afrikaans usually just uses the main verb:

• Ons berei ... voor

So the idea of present action can be expressed without a separate word meaning are.

Not exactly.

Berei by itself can mean prepare, but in this sentence you should understand berei ... voor as the full separable verb voorberei. That is the normal verb here.

So although berei exists on its own, this sentence is not just using plain berei plus an extra random voor. The two parts belong together.

No, not in a normal main clause.

In an Afrikaans main clause, the finite verb normally comes in the second position. With a separable verb, that means the verb splits:

• Ons berei die skriftelike vertoë voor. ✅

Not:

• Ons voorberei die skriftelike vertoë. ❌

You would keep voorberei together in other structures, such as an infinitive:

• Ons wil die skriftelike vertoë voorberei.

Ons is the subject pronoun meaning we.

A useful extra point is that Afrikaans uses ons for both:

• we
• us

Examples:

• Ons berei die vertoë voor. = We prepare the submissions.
• Hulle help ons. = They help us.

So the form does not change the way English we/us does.