Ons enkripteer die lêer.

Word by word:

• Ons = we
• enkripteer = encrypt
• die = the
• lêer = file

So the sentence structure is very close to English: We encrypt the file.

Yes. This sentence uses the normal subject–verb–object order:

• Ons = subject
• enkripteer = verb
• die lêer = object

So it matches English very neatly:

• We / encrypt / the file
• Ons / enkripteer / die lêer

That said, Afrikaans word order can change in other sentence types, especially when the sentence starts with a time word or in subordinate clauses. But in this simple main clause, it looks very familiar to an English speaker.

Usually, no. One nice thing about Afrikaans is that verbs generally do not change form the way English verbs do.

For example:

• Ek enkripteer = I encrypt
• Jy enkripteer = you encrypt
• Ons enkripteer = we encrypt
• Hulle enkripteer = they encrypt

So unlike English, you do not have to learn forms like encrypt versus encrypts in the present tense.

Yes. Die is the normal definite article in Afrikaans, and it works for both singular and plural nouns.

Examples:

• die lêer = the file
• die lêers = the files

So Afrikaans is simpler than English in this way: you do not need different forms of the.

The ê tells you about the vowel sound. In Afrikaans, accent marks are not random decoration; they often help show how a word is pronounced.

In lêer, the ê signals a different vowel quality from plain e. For a learner, it is enough to know that you should not ignore it when reading.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• lêer ≈ LAY-ur or LAIR-ur, depending on accent and how closely you imitate Afrikaans pronunciation

It is best to treat it as a normal part of the spelling of the word.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

Ons enkripteer die lêer
≈ ons en-krip-TEER dee LAY-ur

A few helpful notes:

• Ons sounds roughly like ons in English, but with a cleaner vowel
• enkripteer has the stress near the end: en-krip-TEER
• die in Afrikaans is usually pronounced more like dee, not like English die
• lêer has two syllables

This is only an approximation, but it is a good starting point.

It is a technical word and clearly related to English encrypt. Afrikaans often uses words that are borrowed from or closely related to international technical vocabulary.

That means many modern technical terms may look fairly familiar to an English speaker, even if the spelling is slightly adjusted to fit Afrikaans patterns.

So enkripteer is a very learnable word if you already know English encrypt.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• we encrypt
• we are encrypting

So Ons enkripteer die lêer can often cover both ideas, depending on context.

If you specifically want to stress an ongoing action, Afrikaans can use a construction like:

• Ons is besig om die lêer te enkripteer
  = We are busy encrypting the file / We are encrypting the file

But in many ordinary contexts, the simple form is enough.

Afrikaans usually uses a double nie pattern in standard negation.

So:

• Ons enkripteer die lêer nie. would sound incomplete in standard Afrikaans
• Correct standard Afrikaans: Ons enkripteer nie die lêer nie.

That means:

• first nie comes after the verb
• second nie comes at the end of the clause

So the full negative sentence is:

• Ons enkripteer nie die lêer nie.
  = We do not encrypt the file

You would usually make lêer plural by adding -s:

• lêer = file
• lêers = files

So:

• Ons enkripteer die lêers.
  = We encrypt the files

The article die stays the same.

In computing and office language, lêer most commonly means file. For folder, Afrikaans often uses vouer.

So:

• lêer = file
• vouer = folder

That distinction is useful, especially in computer-related contexts.