Ons marineer die vleissnit in die marinade.

Ons means we.

In Afrikaans, ons is the normal subject pronoun for we:

• Ons kook. = We cook.
• Ons marineer die vleissnit. = We marinate the cut of meat.

It can also sometimes mean us in other contexts, but here it is clearly the subject, so it means we.

In Afrikaans, verbs usually do not change according to the subject in the present tense.

So you get:

• Ek marineer = I marinate
• Jy marineer = you marinate
• Ons marineer = we marinate
• Hulle marineer = they marinate

This is much simpler than English, where you get forms like I marinate but he marinates. In Afrikaans, the verb normally stays the same.

Yes. Marineer is the Afrikaans verb meaning to marinate.

It is closely related to the noun marinade, just like in English:

• marineer = to marinate
• marinade = marinade

So the sentence uses both the verb and the noun:

• Ons marineer ... in die marinade.

That pattern is very easy for English speakers to recognize.

Because die is the Afrikaans definite article, meaning the.

In this sentence:

• die vleissnit = the cut of meat
• die marinade = the marinade

Afrikaans uses die for all genders and for both singular and plural nouns in ordinary use. So unlike languages that have different forms for the, Afrikaans keeps it simple.

Examples:

• die man = the man
• die vrou = the woman
• die kinders = the children

Vleissnit is a compound noun:

• vleis = meat
• snit = cut

So vleissnit literally means meat cut, or more naturally in English, cut of meat.

This kind of compound is very common in Afrikaans, just as in Dutch and German. The last part usually tells you the main idea, and the earlier part describes it:

• snit = cut
• vleissnit = a cut related to meat

Afrikaans often writes compound nouns as one word.

So where English may write:

• meat cut or cut of meat

Afrikaans often prefers:

• vleissnit

This is very normal. Other examples:

• huisdeur = house door / front door
• kombuistafel = kitchen table

For English speakers, one of the most useful habits to build in Afrikaans is: if English uses two words, Afrikaans may well use one compound word.

In die marinade means in the marinade, which suggests the meat is placed or soaked in it.

That fits the normal idea of marinating:

• the meat sits in the marinade

If you said met die marinade, that would mean with the marinade, which is possible in some contexts, but it does not express the same idea as clearly. In is the more natural choice when the food is being immersed or coated in the marinade.

So:

• in die marinade = in the marinade
• met die marinade = with the marinade

They are related, but not identical.

The sentence follows standard Afrikaans main-clause word order:

Ons | marineer | die vleissnit | in die marinade
subject | verb | object | prepositional phrase

So it is basically:

We | marinate | the cut of meat | in the marinade

This is very similar to normal English word order, which makes sentences like this fairly easy for English speakers to follow.

Yes, marinade in Afrikaans means the same kind of thing: a seasoned liquid or mixture used to flavor food before cooking.

Because the word is so similar in both languages, it is an easy vocabulary item for English speakers to remember.

No. In Afrikaans, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin the sentence.

So in your sentence:

• vleissnit is lowercase
• marinade is lowercase

This is different from German, where all nouns are capitalized.

Yes, it is understandable and natural enough.

That said, depending on context, some speakers might also use a slightly different noun such as:

• stuk vleis = piece of meat
• snit vleis = cut of meat

But vleissnit is perfectly understandable, and the grammar of the sentence is clear and correct.

A common past construction in Afrikaans uses het + ge- form of the verb:

Ons het die vleissnit in die marinade gemarineer.
= We marinated the cut of meat in the marinade.

Notice two important things:

1. het is added.
2. The main verb moves to the end as gemarineer.

That is a very common Afrikaans pattern for the past tense.