Ons vertaal die dokument.

Ons is the normal Afrikaans word for we. It is used as the subject of the sentence just like we in English.

A useful thing to know is that ons can also mean us, depending on the sentence:

• Ons vertaal die dokument. = We translate the document.
• Hulle help ons. = They help us.

So the function in the sentence tells you whether it means we or us.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change form for different persons the way they do in English.

So you get:

• Ek vertaal = I translate
• Jy vertaal = you translate
• Ons vertaal = we translate
• Hulle vertaal = they translate

This is one of the nice simplifications in Afrikaans. In most present-tense sentences, the verb stays the same.

It can often mean both, depending on context.

So Ons vertaal die dokument can mean:

• We translate the document
• We are translating the document

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might choose either the simple present or the present continuous. If the speaker wants to make the ongoing action very clear, Afrikaans can also use another structure, but the plain present tense is very common.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, so here it means the.

In die dokument, it tells you that a specific document is meant: the document, not just a document.

No. That is another helpful feature of Afrikaans.

Die is used for:

• singular nouns: die dokument = the document
• plural nouns: die dokumente = the documents

It does not change for masculine, feminine, or neuter gender. Afrikaans does not use separate forms like German der / die / das.

Yes. This is the normal basic word order for a main clause:

subject + verb + object

So:

• Ons = subject
• vertaal = verb
• die dokument = object

This is the standard pattern for a simple statement in Afrikaans.

In a yes/no question, Afrikaans usually puts the verb first:

• Vertaal ons die dokument? = Are we translating the document? / Do we translate the document?

So compared with Ons vertaal die dokument, the verb vertaal moves before ons.

In a subordinate clause, Afrikaans usually sends the verb to the end.

For example:

• Ek weet dat ons die dokument vertaal. = I know that we are translating the document.

So in the main clause you have:

• Ons vertaal die dokument.

But after dat, it becomes:

• ons die dokument vertaal

This verb-final pattern is very important in Afrikaans grammar.

It is a normal Afrikaans word, and it is also a cognate for English speakers, which makes it easy to recognize.

The spelling is slightly different from English document:

• Afrikaans: dokument
• English: document

Many Afrikaans words look familiar to English speakers, but the spelling is often a bit more phonetic.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

ver-TAAL

The second syllable is stressed. The aa is a long vowel sound. The exact pronunciation depends on accent, but the important beginner point is that the stress falls on taal, not on ver.

Normally, no. If you mean the document, you need die:

• Ons vertaal die dokument.

If you mean a document, you would usually say:

• Ons vertaal ’n dokument.

Leaving out the article completely would usually sound unnatural in this kind of sentence.

Yes, several things:

• ons is easy to learn because it often corresponds directly to we
• vertaal looks similar to translate in meaning, even if not in form
• dokument is very close to document
• the basic word order is very familiar: subject + verb + object
• the verb does not change for person, which is simpler than English in some ways

So this is a very beginner-friendly Afrikaans sentence.