Afrikaans does not need an extra helping verb here.
English often uses do in the present tense:
Afrikaans simply uses the main verb:
There is no equivalent of English do in ordinary present-tense statements like this.
Also, English uses are only with certain structures, such as we are discussing. This Afrikaans sentence is not using that structure; it is just a simple present statement.
It is the present tense.
So Ons bespreek teologie means:
Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either discuss or are discussing. The exact meaning depends on context.
Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs in the present tense. They generally do not change according to the subject.
Compare:
So unlike English, where you get I discuss but he discusses, Afrikaans usually keeps the verb the same.
This is the normal word order for a basic main clause in Afrikaans:
subject + verb + object
So:
That makes it very similar to English:
Afrikaans word order becomes more different from English in some other sentence types, especially subordinate clauses, but this sentence is straightforward.
Because teologie is being used as an uncountable or general subject area, just like in English.
Compare:
You usually do not need an article before names of fields of study or abstract subjects used in a general sense.
If you wanted to refer to a specific theology, the sentence would be different, but in this simple sentence the bare noun is natural.
Yes. Teologie is a noun meaning theology.
It is a good example of how many academic or international words in Afrikaans look similar to English, though often with slightly different spelling:
A learner can often recognize words like this, but should still check pronunciation and usage.
A rough English-friendly guide is:
ons buh-SPRAYK tee-oh-loh-GHEE
A few notes:
Pronunciation varies somewhat by accent, but this rough guide is enough to get started.
Yes, very often it could.
Afrikaans commonly uses the simple present for things that English may express either as:
Context tells you which is meant.
For example: