Ons is amper gereed, maar my ma soek nog haar handsak.

Because gereed means ready, which is an adjective, not a past participle here.

In Afrikaans, you usually use is with adjectives:

• Ek is moeg = I am tired
• Hulle is gelukkig = They are happy
• Ons is gereed = We are ready

So Ons is amper gereed literally means We are almost ready.

Amper means almost.

It usually comes before the adjective or word it modifies:

• amper gereed = almost ready
• amper klaar = almost finished
• amper daar = almost there

So:

• Ons is amper gereed = We are almost ready

This is very similar to English word order.

Maar means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Ons is amper gereed = We are almost ready
• maar my ma soek nog haar handsak = but my mom is still looking for her handbag

So maar works just like English but in this sentence.

Yes, ma means mom / mother, but it is more everyday and informal, like mom in English.

• ma = mom
• moeder = mother

So:

• my ma = my mom

A learner will hear ma very often in normal speech.

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English prefers the present continuous.

So:

• my ma soek haar handsak
  can mean
  my mom looks for her handbag or, more naturally in English, my mom is looking for her handbag

Afrikaans does have ways to be more explicit about an ongoing action, such as:

• My ma is besig om haar handsak te soek = My mom is busy looking for her handbag

But in everyday speech, simple soek is very common and natural.

Here nog means still.

So:

• my ma soek nog haar handsak = my mom is still looking for her handbag

Nog can have a few related meanings depending on context, such as still, yet, or another/more, so context matters.

Examples:

• Ek wag nog = I am still waiting
• Het jy nog koffie? = Do you still have coffee?
• Nog een, asseblief = Another one, please

In your sentence, still is the correct meaning.

Haar means her.

In Afrikaans, possessive words usually come directly before the noun:

• my boek = my book
• jou kar = your car
• sy huis = his house
• haar handsak = her handbag

So haar handsak simply means her handbag.

There is no apostrophe like in English mother’s handbag unless you build the phrase differently.

No. In standard Afrikaans:

• sy = she
• haar = her

Examples:

• Sy soek haar handsak = She is looking for her handbag

Here:

• the first sy would mean she
• the second haar means her

In your sentence, haar is possessive: her handbag.

Afrikaans, like Dutch and German, often forms compound nouns by writing them as one word.

So:

• hand
  • sak → handsak = handbag

This is very normal in Afrikaans.

Other examples:

• huiswerk = homework
• toiletpapier = toilet paper
• sonbril = sunglasses

English often separates these words, but Afrikaans often joins them.

Because haar handsak already means her handbag.

In Afrikaans, as in English, you normally do not use the together with a possessive:

• her handbag — not the her handbag
• haar handsak — not die haar handsak

So the possessive word haar already makes the noun specific.

Yes, it is very normal.

The basic order is:

subject + verb + time/extra word + object

So here:

• my ma = subject
• soek = verb
• nog = still
• haar handsak = object

That gives:

• My ma soek nog haar handsak

This sounds natural and straightforward in Afrikaans.

Afrikaans usually uses double negation.

For example:

• Ons is nie amper gereed nie, maar my ma soek nog haar handsak.
  = We are not almost ready, but my mom is still looking for her handbag.

Or:

• My ma soek nie meer haar handsak nie.
  = My mom is no longer looking for her handbag.

That nie ... nie pattern is one of the most important things for English speakers to learn in Afrikaans.

In everyday Afrikaans, ons can mean both we and us.

Examples:

• Ons is gereed = We are ready
• Hy sien ons = He sees us

So in your sentence, Ons is amper gereed, it clearly means we because it is the subject of the sentence.