Kan ons dit uitstel?

A simple word-for-word breakdown is:

• Kan = can
• ons = we
• dit = it / this
• uitstel = postpone / put off

So the structure is basically:

• Kan ons dit uitstel?
• Can we postpone it?

Depending on context, dit can mean it or sometimes this.

Because this is a yes/no question.

In Afrikaans, yes/no questions are often made by putting the finite verb first:

• Ons kan dit uitstel. = We can postpone it.
• Kan ons dit uitstel? = Can we postpone it?

This is very similar to English:

• We can postpone it.
• Can we postpone it?

So kan comes first because the sentence is asking a question.

Here kan means can.

It can express:

• ability: we are able to do it
• possibility: it is possible
• permission/suggestion: would it be okay to do this?

In Kan ons dit uitstel?, it often sounds like a polite suggestion or request:

• Can we postpone it?
• Could we postpone it?

Even though Afrikaans uses kan, English may sometimes translate it more naturally as could depending on tone.

Ons can mean both we and us in Afrikaans.

In this sentence, it means we, because it is the subject:

• Kan ons dit uitstel? = Can we postpone it?

Examples:

• Ons gaan nou. = We are going now.
• Hy sien ons. = He sees us.

So Afrikaans uses the same form, ons, where English has both we and us.

Dit usually means it.

In some contexts, it can also correspond to this, especially when English is being a bit flexible in translation. But in this sentence, the most natural meaning is simply:

• dit = it

So:

• Kan ons dit uitstel? = Can we postpone it?

This is a very common learner question, because uitstel is a separable verb.

The base verb is:

• uitstel = to postpone

But in some sentence patterns, it separates:

• Ons stel dit uit. = We postpone it. / We put it off.

Here:

• stel is the conjugated verb
• uit moves to the end

However, after a modal verb like kan, the main verb stays in the infinitive form, so it appears as one word again:

• Ons kan dit uitstel.
• Kan ons dit uitstel?

So:

• Ons stel dit uit.
• Ons kan dit uitstel.

Both are correct; the structure changes because of the modal verb kan.

The statement version is:

• Ons kan dit uitstel. = We can postpone it.

Compare:

• Kan ons dit uitstel? = Can we postpone it?
• Ons kan dit uitstel. = We can postpone it.

So the main difference is word order:

• question: Kan
  • subject ...
• statement: subject + kan ...

The natural negative question is:

• Kan ons dit nie uitstel nie? = Can we not postpone it?

Afrikaans usually uses double negation:

• one nie after the relevant part of the sentence
• another nie at the end

Examples:

• Ons kan dit uitstel. = We can postpone it.
• Ons kan dit nie uitstel nie. = We cannot postpone it.
• Kan ons dit nie uitstel nie? = Can we not postpone it?

This double nie ... nie pattern is a key feature of Afrikaans.

Yes, it is perfectly normal and polite in everyday Afrikaans.

It can be used in:

• casual conversation
• work situations
• meetings
• emails, depending on tone

If you want to sound a bit softer or more formal, you could add polite wording such as:

• Kan ons dit asseblief uitstel? = Can we please postpone it?
• Sal ons dit kan uitstel? = Would we be able to postpone it?

But Kan ons dit uitstel? is already a very natural and acceptable sentence.

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• Kan ≈ kahn
• ons ≈ ons / awns (depending on accent)
• dit ≈ dit
• uitstel ≈ ate-stel or uyt-stel with the ui sound being a typical Afrikaans vowel sound

Very roughly:

• Kahn ons dit uyt-stel?

A few notes:

• g does not appear here, so there is no difficult throaty sound in this sentence.
• ui in uitstel is one of the trickier Afrikaans vowel combinations for English speakers.
• Stress is usually clear and natural if you say it steadily as a question:
  Kan ons dit uitSTEL?

Yes, but it does not mean exactly the same thing.

• Kan ons dit uitstel? = Can we postpone it?
• Kan ons dit later doen? = Can we do it later?

They are close in meaning, but uitstel specifically means postpone / put off, while later doen is more literally do later.

So:

• if you want the exact idea of postponing something, uitstel is the best word
• if you just mean doing it at a later time, later doen is also possible

Yes.

After kan, the main verb appears in the infinitive form:

• kan ... uitstel

That is why you see the full verb uitstel as one word here.

Compare:

• Ek stel dit uit. = I postpone it.
• Ek wil dit uitstel. = I want to postpone it.
• Kan ons dit uitstel? = Can we postpone it?

So yes, uitstel here is the infinitive form of the verb.