Ons skep 'n nuwe plan.

In this sentence, Ons means we.

Afrikaans ons can also mean us in other contexts, so the exact meaning depends on the sentence. Here, because it is the subject of the verb skep, it means we.

Examples:

• Ons skep 'n nuwe plan. = We create a new plan.
• Hy sien ons. = He sees us.

Here, skep means create.

So Ons skep 'n nuwe plan means We create a new plan.

Be aware that skep can have other meanings in some contexts, depending on the sentence, but in this example it is clearly create.

'n is the Afrikaans indefinite article, equivalent to English a or an.

It is always written with a lowercase n and an apostrophe in front: 'n.

Examples:

• 'n plan = a plan
• 'n boek = a book
• 'n appel = an apple

A useful detail: if 'n starts a sentence, it still stays lowercase:

• 'n Nuwe plan is nodig. = A new plan is needed.

The next word may be capitalized if needed, but 'n itself does not become 'N in normal standard writing.

'n is usually pronounced as a very weak vowel sound, like the a in about or sofa.

So 'n nuwe plan sounds roughly like: uh NUH-vuh plahn

The article is unstressed. Native speakers say it very lightly.

This is a very common learner question.

Nuut means new, but when it comes before a noun, Afrikaans usually uses the inflected adjective form nuwe.

So:

• 'n nuwe plan = a new plan

Compare:

• Die plan is nuut. = The plan is new.
• 'n nuwe plan = a new plan

So the pattern is often:

• predicate adjective: nuut
• adjective before noun: nuwe

This kind of adjective change is normal in Afrikaans.

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

• Ons = subject
• skep = verb
• 'n nuwe plan = object / noun phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for English speakers.

There is a separate word: 'n.

The noun phrase 'n nuwe plan is made up of:

• 'n = a
• nuwe = new
• plan = plan

So Afrikaans works very similarly to English here:

• a new plan
• 'n nuwe plan

It is an Afrikaans word, and it looks the same as the English word plan.

Many Afrikaans words are similar to English words, especially in everyday vocabulary. But even when a word looks familiar, you should still learn its Afrikaans pronunciation and grammar.

In this sentence, plan is a normal singular noun meaning plan.

You would use die for the:

Ons skep die nuwe plan.

Here:

• die = the
• nuwe plan = new plan

So:

• Ons skep 'n nuwe plan. = We create a new plan.
• Ons skep die nuwe plan. = We create the new plan.

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

So Ons skep 'n nuwe plan can often mean:

• We create a new plan
• We are creating a new plan

If you really want to emphasize an ongoing action, Afrikaans can use a progressive construction, but for many everyday cases the simple present is enough.

So this sentence is very natural and flexible in meaning.

Afrikaans usually uses a double negative:

Ons skep nie 'n nuwe plan nie.

This may look unusual to English speakers because English usually has only one not, but in standard Afrikaans the pattern is very common:

• nie after the verb or later in the clause
• another nie at the end

So:

• Ons skep 'n nuwe plan. = We create a new plan.
• Ons skep nie 'n nuwe plan nie. = We do not create a new plan.

Sometimes English speakers wonder this because make is very common in English.

Maak often means make, while skep means create. In some contexts both may be possible, but they are not always identical in tone.

• skep can sound a bit more like create
• maak can sound more general, like make

So Ons skep 'n nuwe plan is a good translation for We create a new plan, especially if you want the idea of creating something new.

Only because it is at the beginning of the sentence.

Normally:

• ons = we / us

At the start of a sentence:

• Ons skep 'n nuwe plan.

So the capital letter here is just normal sentence capitalization, not a special grammar rule for the word itself.