Ons repeteer vandag.

Ons means we in this sentence.

It is the subject pronoun, so it tells you who is doing the action: we rehearse today.

A useful extra note: in Afrikaans, ons can also mean us in other contexts, depending on sentence structure. But here, because it comes before the verb, it clearly means we.

Repeteer means to rehearse or to practise for a performance.

It is used especially for things like:

• theatre
• music
• choir
• dance
• speeches

So Ons repeteer vandag means We rehearse today.

Depending on context, English might also translate it as We’re practising today, but rehearse is the closest match.

No. In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So you get:

• Ek repeteer — I rehearse
• Jy repeteer — you rehearse
• Ons repeteer — we rehearse
• Hy/Sy repeteer — he/she rehearses

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not add -s for he/she/it in the present tense.

That makes Afrikaans verb conjugation much simpler than English.

Yes. Ons repeteer vandag is in the present tense.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present tense in places where English might use:

• We rehearse today
• We are rehearsing today
• sometimes even We’re rehearsing later today

The exact time sense depends on context. So the Afrikaans present tense can be a little broader than the English simple present.

Vandag means today.

In Ons repeteer vandag, it comes at the end of the sentence, which is very natural in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans often places time words like this either:

• at the beginning: Vandag repeteer ons
• or later in the sentence: Ons repeteer vandag

Both are correct, but the word order changes slightly when vandag comes first.

Because normal Afrikaans word order does not usually put the time word directly between the subject and the main verb like that in a simple statement.

The usual neutral order is:

• Subject + verb + time
• Ons repeteer vandag

If you move vandag to the beginning for emphasis, then Afrikaans uses verb-second word order:

• Vandag repeteer ons

So:

• Ons repeteer vandag — correct
• Vandag repeteer ons — also correct
• Ons vandag repeteer — not natural/incorrect in standard Afrikaans

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker is:

• Ons ≈ ons / awns
• repeteer ≈ reh-peh-TEER
• vandag ≈ fun-DAKH or vun-DAKH

A few helpful notes:

• The r in Afrikaans is usually trilled or tapped more than in most English accents.
• The g in vandag is the throaty Afrikaans g/ch sound, not a hard English g.
• The stress in repeteer falls on the last syllable: re-pe-TEER.

Yes, it can.

Like English we, ons may be:

• inclusive: the speaker + the listener
• exclusive: the speaker + someone else, but not the listener

The sentence itself does not tell you which one is meant. You need context.

For example:

• A choir director to singers: Ons repeteer vandag = We’re rehearsing today (probably inclusive)
• One band member speaking to a friend: Ons repeteer vandag = My group and I are rehearsing today (exclusive)

Yes.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English has a choice between:

• We rehearse today
• We are rehearsing today

So Ons repeteer vandag can match either, depending on context and how natural the English sounds in that situation.

If someone is talking about today’s plans, English would often prefer:

• We’re rehearsing today

But the Afrikaans sentence itself remains the same.

The most common way is to invert the subject and verb:

• Repeteer ons vandag? — Are we rehearsing today? / Do we rehearse today?

This is a standard Afrikaans pattern for yes/no questions:

• statement: Ons repeteer vandag.
• question: Repeteer ons vandag?

Afrikaans usually uses double negation.

So:

• Ons repeteer vandag. — We rehearse today.
• Ons repeteer nie vandag nie. — We do not rehearse today.

This is a very important Afrikaans pattern:

• first nie goes after the verb phrase
• second nie goes at the end of the clause

So you should get used to structures like:

• Ek werk nie vandag nie.
• Ons repeteer nie vandag nie.

Yes, it behaves like a regular Afrikaans verb in the present tense.

That means the basic form stays the same after different subjects:

• Ek repeteer
• Jy repeteer
• Ons repeteer
• Hulle repeteer

Afrikaans has far less verb change than English, so in that sense repeteer is straightforward for learners.

Yes, absolutely.

Vandag repeteer ons and Ons repeteer vandag both mean We rehearse today.

The difference is mainly in emphasis and sentence structure:

• Ons repeteer vandag = neutral, everyday order
• Vandag repeteer ons = puts extra focus on today

Notice that when vandag comes first, the verb must come before the subject:

• Vandag repeteer ons
  not
• Vandag ons repeteer