Ons komprimeer die lêer.

• Ons = we
• komprimeer = compress
• die = the
• lêer = file

So the sentence means We compress the file.

Yes. Ons is the normal Afrikaans word for we.

A useful extra point: ons can also mean our in other sentences, depending on how it is used.

For example:

• Ons komprimeer die lêer. = We compress the file.
• Ons lêer is groot. = Our file is big.

So context tells you whether ons means we or our.

Usually, no. One of the nice things about Afrikaans is that verbs generally do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So you get:

• Ek komprimeer = I compress
• Jy komprimeer = you compress
• Ons komprimeer = we compress
• Hulle komprimeer = they compress

The verb stays komprimeer.

Because Afrikaans does not need an extra helping verb here. English sometimes uses extra words depending on structure, but Afrikaans can simply use the main verb directly.

So:

• Ons komprimeer die lêer = We compress the file

If you wanted to say We are compressing the file, Afrikaans often still uses the simple present in many everyday contexts:

• Ons komprimeer die lêer

Afrikaans can also use other structures for emphasis or clarity, but the simple form is very common.

Yes, die here means the.

Afrikaans has a very simple article system compared with English:

• die = the
• 'n = a / an

Unlike some other languages, die does not change for gender or case. That makes it much easier to use.

So:

• die lêer = the file
• 'n lêer = a file

In this sentence, lêer means file, especially in a computer or document sense.

In some contexts, Afrikaans words can have more than one meaning, but here the meaning file is the natural one because of the verb komprimeer. You compress a computer file, so die lêer is understood as the file.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is something like LAY-er, but said smoothly.

A few pronunciation notes:

• ê is a long vowel sound
• the word has two syllables: lê-er
• the r is pronounced in the Afrikaans way, which may vary slightly by speaker

If you are an English speaker, aiming for LAY-ur is a reasonable start.

The accent mark in ê shows the vowel quality and helps distinguish pronunciation. In Afrikaans, diacritics like this are important because they can show that a vowel is pronounced differently from a plain e.

So lêer is not written leer, and the spelling helps guide pronunciation and meaning.

Yes, in this simple main clause, the word order is very similar to English:

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

So it follows the pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is why it feels quite familiar to English speakers.

Afrikaans normally uses a double negative structure.

So Ons komprimeer die lêer becomes:

Ons komprimeer nie die lêer nie.

This literally looks like:

• nie ... nie

That is a very common Afrikaans pattern.

Afrikaans often forms the past tense with het + past participle.

So:

• Ons het die lêer gekomprimeer. = We compressed the file.

Notice:

• het = auxiliary verb
• gekomprimeer = past participle

In a main question, Afrikaans usually puts the verb first.

So:

• Komprimeer ons die lêer? = Are we compressing the file? / Do we compress the file?

This is similar to the kind of inversion English sometimes uses.

It is the standard Afrikaans verb for compress, and like many technical words, it is closely related to international vocabulary. That can actually help English speakers, because it looks similar to compress/compression in meaning, even if the exact form is different.

So it is a good example of a technical verb that is easy to recognize once you learn it.