Ons hergebruik verpakking om afval te verminder.

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

• Ons hergebruik verpakking ... = We reuse packaging ...

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans ons can also mean us or our in other contexts, so you have to tell from the sentence structure which meaning it has.

Examples:

• Ons help. = We help.
• Hulle help ons. = They help us.
• Ons huis is groot. = Our house is big.

Here, since ons comes before the verb, it is clearly we.

Yes, hergebruik is normally written as one word. It is made up of:

• her- = re- / again
• gebruik = use

So hergebruik literally means reuse or use again.

This is very common in Afrikaans: prefixes often attach directly to the verb.

Related examples:

• herlees = reread
• herbou = rebuild
• hersien = revise / review

No. Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs in this way. In the present tense, the verb usually stays the same no matter who the subject is.

So you get:

• Ek hergebruik = I reuse
• Jy hergebruik = you reuse
• Ons hergebruik = we reuse
• Hulle hergebruik = they reuse

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

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

So:

• Ons hergebruik verpakking can mean We reuse packaging or We are reusing packaging, depending on context.

Afrikaans does have ways to emphasize ongoing action, but in ordinary sentences the simple present is very common and natural.

Here verpakking is being used in a general, material-like sense, similar to English packaging.

So:

• Ons hergebruik verpakking = We reuse packaging

You do not need die when talking about packaging in general.

If you said die verpakking, it would usually sound more like the packaging of a specific thing:

• Ons hergebruik die verpakking van die produk. = We reuse the packaging of the product.

So the version without die is more general.

In this sentence, verpakking means packaging.

That is the most natural meaning here because the sentence is about reducing waste in general.

Depending on context, verpakking can refer to packaging material or packing/packaging as a concept. If you want to talk about a single physical package, Afrikaans often uses other words depending on the exact meaning, such as:

• pakket = parcel/package
• pak = pack
• houer = container

So here, think of verpakking as packaging.

Om ... te is a very important Afrikaans pattern. It is used before an infinitive, often meaning:

• to
• in order to

So:

• om afval te verminder = to reduce waste / in order to reduce waste

You can think of it as a kind of infinitive marker around the verb.

More examples:

• Ek leer Afrikaans om beter te kommunikeer. = I learn Afrikaans to communicate better.
• Sy oefen om fiks te bly. = She exercises to stay fit.

Because om afval te verminder is an infinitive clause, and Afrikaans normally puts the infinitive verb toward the end of that clause.

Structure here:

• Ons hergebruik verpakking = main clause
• om afval te verminder = purpose clause

Inside the purpose clause:

• om introduces it
• afval comes before the infinitive
• te verminder comes at the end

This end-position of the verb is very typical in Afrikaans subordinate and infinitive structures.

Afval means waste, trash, or refuse, depending on context.

In this sentence, waste is the best translation:

• om afval te verminder = to reduce waste

Like English waste, afval is often used as an uncountable noun when talking about waste in general.

Example:

• Minder afval is beter vir die omgewing. = Less waste is better for the environment.

Yes. Verminder means reduce, decrease, or lessen.

So:

• afval verminder = reduce waste

It is a common verb in formal and everyday language.

Examples:

• Ons wil koste verminder. = We want to reduce costs.
• Die pyn verminder. = The pain decreases.

In your sentence, it works exactly like English reduce.

Broadly, yes, but with one important Afrikaans feature.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Ons = subject
• hergebruik = main verb
• verpakking = object
• om afval te verminder = purpose phrase

So it is roughly:

• We reuse packaging to reduce waste.

The main difference is the Afrikaans infinitive pattern:

• English: to reduce
• Afrikaans: om ... te verminder

That om ... te structure is one of the main things English speakers need to get used to.

In this sentence, om should stay. With a purpose meaning like to reduce waste, Afrikaans normally uses om ... te.

So the natural form is:

• Ons hergebruik verpakking om afval te verminder.

Leaving out om here would sound wrong or incomplete to most speakers.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Ons ≈ ons
• hergebruik ≈ hair-khuh-BRAYK or hair-guh-BRAYK
• verpakking ≈ fair-PAK-ing
• om ≈ om
• afval ≈ AF-fahl
• te ≈ tuh
• verminder ≈ fair-MIN-der

A few notes:

• g in Afrikaans is usually a throaty sound, not like the English g in go.
• v is often pronounced close to English f in many accents.
• Stress in verpakking is usually on pak.
• Stress in verminder is usually on min.

A smooth reading would sound something like: Ons hergebruik verpakking om afval te verminder.