Ons bespreek die moontlikheid.

Ons means we in this sentence.

A useful thing to know is that ons can also mean us in other contexts, for example after a verb or preposition. So Afrikaans often uses the same form where English distinguishes we and us.

In Ons bespreek die moontlikheid, ons is the subject, so it means we.

Afrikaans verbs usually do not change according to the subject the way English verbs sometimes do.

So you get:

• ek bespreek = I discuss
• jy bespreek = you discuss
• ons bespreek = we discuss
• hulle bespreek = they discuss

This is one of the simpler features of Afrikaans grammar: the verb form often stays the same.

It can cover all of those, depending on context.

So Ons bespreek die moontlikheid can mean:

• We discuss the possibility
• We are discussing the possibility

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English might use either the simple present or the present continuous.

If you really want to emphasize an ongoing action, Afrikaans can also use a structure like is besig om te, but that is not necessary here.

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

In Afrikaans, die is used for:

• singular nouns: die moontlikheid = the possibility
• plural nouns: die moontlikhede = the possibilities

Unlike English, Afrikaans does not have different forms like the for singular and plural. It just uses die.

Because die means the, while ’n means a/an.

So:

• die moontlikheid = the possibility
• ’n moontlikheid = a possibility

If the meaning shown to the learner is the possibility, then die is exactly what you would expect.

Moontlikheid means possibility.

It is related to moontlik, which means possible. The ending -heid often works like English -ness or sometimes helps form an abstract noun.

So:

• moontlik = possible
• moontlikheid = possibility

This is a very useful pattern in Afrikaans. Compare:

• waar = true
• waarheid = truth

In this basic statement, yes, it is very similar:

• Ons = subject
• bespreek = verb
• die moontlikheid = object

So the pattern is:

subject + verb + object

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for an English speaker.

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

• Bespreek ons die moontlikheid? = Are we discussing the possibility? / Do we discuss the possibility?

This is similar to the kind of inversion English uses in questions, although English often needs do or are, while Afrikaans usually just moves the main verb.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• bespreek: something like buh-SPRAYK
• moontlikheid: roughly MOONT-lihk-hate

A few notes:

• ee in bespreek is a long vowel.
• oo in moontlikheid is also long.
• g in Afrikaans is usually a throaty sound, not an English g.
• -heid often sounds a bit like -hate, but with an Afrikaans vowel quality.

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region, but this rough guide is enough to get started.

No, not in this sentence.

Here ons comes before the verb bespreek, so it is clearly the subject. That means it must be we.

If ons were being used as us, it would normally appear in a different position, for example after a verb or preposition.

Yes. Bespreek usually means discuss, but depending on context it can also mean something like:

• talk over
• consider
• go through

So in real usage, Ons bespreek die moontlikheid could mean not just casual discussion, but also more serious consideration of an option.