Ons kies die lêerformaat na gelang van die dokument.

Ons means we here, so it is the subject of the sentence.

A useful thing to know is that ons can mean both we and us, depending on its role in the sentence:

• Ons kies ... = We choose ...
• Hulle sien ons. = They see us.

In your sentence, it comes before the verb kies, so it is clearly the subject: we choose.

Afrikaans main clauses usually follow a subject–verb–object pattern, just like English in a simple statement.

So here you get:

• Ons = subject
• kies = verb
• die lêerformaat = object
• na gelang van die dokument = prepositional phrase

That makes the sentence structure very natural for Afrikaans: Ons kies die lêerformaat na gelang van die dokument.

If another element were placed first for emphasis, the verb would still stay in second position, which is an important Afrikaans rule.

Die is the definite article in Afrikaans, meaning the.

It appears before both nouns because both are definite:

• die lêerformaat = the file format
• die dokument = the document

Unlike some other languages, Afrikaans does not change the article for gender or case. So die is used for:

• masculine nouns
• feminine nouns
• plural nouns
• common definite nouns in general

That makes it much simpler than languages like German or Dutch.

No. Afrikaans does not keep the Dutch-style distinction between de and het.

Afrikaans uses:

• die = the
• ’n = a/an

So learners do not have to memorize noun gender for the article.

For example:

• die dokument
• die lêer
• die tafel
• die boeke

They all use die.

Yes, lêerformaat is one word, and that is very normal in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans often forms compound nouns by joining words together, just like Dutch and German often do. Here:

• lêer = file
• formaat = format

So lêerformaat = file format

English often writes similar ideas as two words, but Afrikaans frequently prefers one compound word. This is something English speakers need to get used to.

The ê in lêer shows a particular vowel quality and helps with pronunciation and spelling.

For learners, the main practical point is:

• do not ignore it in writing
• it is part of the correct spelling

In lêer, the word is typically pronounced roughly like LAY-er, though the exact Afrikaans sound is not identical to English. The diacritic helps distinguish the vowel sound and sometimes helps avoid ambiguity.

Na gelang van is a fixed expression. It means something like:

• according to
• depending on
• in accordance with

In this sentence, it tells you that the choice of file format depends on the document.

It is best learned as a whole phrase rather than word by word.

Grammatically, it functions like a prepositional expression introducing what the choice depends on:

• na gelang van die dokument

You can try, but it is more helpful to treat it as an idiomatic unit.

Historically or literally, the pieces may suggest something like according to the proportion/measure of, but that is not how a learner should normally process it.

In modern usage, the safest approach is:

• learn na gelang van as one chunk
• use it when you mean depending on or according to

That will sound much more natural than trying to build the meaning from each individual word every time.

Because it belongs to the fixed phrase na gelang van.

The full unit is:

• na gelang van die dokument

So die dokument is the object of van, and the whole phrase explains the basis for the choice.

Afrikaans often places this kind of modifying phrase after the main object, just as English does:

• We choose the file format depending on the document.

So the order is very natural.

It is natural and correct, but na gelang van can sound a bit more formal or written than some simpler alternatives.

In everyday speech, people might also use expressions such as:

• afhangend van = depending on
• volgens = according to

But the best alternative depends on the exact nuance. Na gelang van is a good, idiomatic choice when something varies according to something else.

Yes. A few possible alternatives are:

• Ons kies die lêerformaat volgens die dokument.
• Ons kies die lêerformaat afhangend van die dokument.

However, these are not always perfectly identical in nuance:

• volgens can sound more like according to
• afhangend van clearly emphasizes depending on
• na gelang van has the sense of in accordance with / depending on

So your original sentence is a strong, idiomatic option.

Yes, dokument is a normal Afrikaans noun meaning document.

It behaves in a straightforward way:

• singular: die dokument
• plural: die dokumente

It is a neuter/common noun in practical Afrikaans usage, since Afrikaans does not require separate gender articles.

No, not in the way you would in German, for example.

Afrikaans has largely lost the old case system, so nouns usually do not change form depending on grammatical role. In this sentence:

• ons stays ons
• dokument stays dokument
• die stays die

That is one reason Afrikaans grammar often feels simpler to English speakers than some other Germanic languages.