Ons voer die lêer uit.

Because uitvoer is a separable verb in Afrikaans.

The full verb is uitvoer, but in a normal main clause the conjugated part goes to the second position, and the prefix part moves to the end:

• Ons voer die lêer uit.

This is very common in Afrikaans and works a lot like separable verbs in Dutch or German.

Compare:

• infinitive: uitvoer
• main clause: Ons voer die lêer uit.

So even though the meaning is one unit, the verb gets split in this sentence.

By itself, voer can have other meanings, such as feed or carry out/conduct, depending on context. But here it is not really standing alone in meaning. It is part of the separable verb uitvoer.

In this sentence, you should understand voer ... uit as one verb unit meaning something like execute, run, or carry out, depending on the context.

So in computing:

• Ons voer die lêer uit. = We execute/run the file.

In a basic Afrikaans main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, often in the second position. With a separable verb, the second part goes to the end.

So the pattern is:

• subject: Ons
• finite verb: voer
• object: die lêer
• separable prefix: uit

That gives:

• Ons voer die lêer uit.

This end position for the separable part is normal and expected.

Ons means we here.

Afrikaans uses ons for both:

• we as a subject
• us as an object

So:

• Ons voer die lêer uit. = We execute the file.
• Hulle sien ons. = They see us.

The function depends on the sentence, not the form of the word.

Die is the definite article, meaning the.

One nice feature of Afrikaans is that articles do not change for grammatical gender the way they do in some other languages. So die is used broadly for the, regardless of whether the noun would be masculine, feminine, or neuter in other languages.

So:

• die lêer = the file

Afrikaans is much simpler than many European languages in this respect.

Lêer means file.

In modern usage, it can refer to a computer file, which fits this sentence very well.

The ê shows a different vowel quality from plain e. A rough English-friendly pronunciation guide would be something like:

• lêer ≈ LAY-ur, but with the first vowel said a bit more carefully than in standard English

The spelling mark matters, so it is lêer, not leer.

It is in the present tense.

Afrikaans verbs do not change much depending on the subject, so the same verb form is used with different persons:

• Ek voer die lêer uit.
• Ons voer die lêer uit.
• Hulle voer die lêer uit.

So unlike English, you do not get forms like I run versus he runs. Afrikaans is much more regular here.

A common past form in Afrikaans uses het plus a past participle.

So this would be:

• Ons het die lêer uitgevoer.

Notice what happens to the separable verb:

• infinitive: uitvoer
• past participle: uitgevoer

So in the past tense, the verb is no longer split in the same way as in the simple present main clause.

No. Uitvoer has several related meanings, depending on context.

It can mean things like:

• carry out
• perform
• execute
• export

So the exact English translation depends on what kind of object follows it.

For example:

• ’n plan uitvoer = carry out a plan
• data uitvoer = export data
• ’n lêer uitvoer = execute/run a file in a computing context

So context is very important.

Yes. In a subordinate clause, separable verbs are often written together again as uitvoer.

For example:

• Ek dink dat ons die lêer uitvoer.

Here the verb comes at the end of the clause, and you do not split it the same way as in the main clause.

So compare:

• main clause: Ons voer die lêer uit.
• subordinate clause: dat ons die lêer uitvoer

That is a very useful pattern to learn early.

Afrikaans normally uses double negation.

So:

• Ons voer nie die lêer uit nie.

You usually place one nie after the finite verb and another nie near the end of the clause.

That double nie pattern is one of the most recognizable features of Afrikaans grammar.

Not too literally.

Word-for-word, it looks like:

• Ons = we
• voer ... uit = carry out / execute
• die lêer = the file

But natural English depends on context. In computing, the best translation is often:

• We run the file.
• We execute the file.

So it is better to learn voer ... uit as a single meaning unit rather than translating each piece separately every time.