Ons ervaar 'n lekker aand by die braai.

We experience a pleasant evening at the barbecue.

Breakdown of Ons ervaar 'n lekker aand by die braai.

• ons: we
• 'n: a
• by: at
• lekker: nice

Questions & Answers about Ons ervaar 'n lekker aand by die braai.

What does ons mean here?

Here, ons means we.

A useful thing to know is that Afrikaans uses ons for both we and us, unlike English, which changes form. In this sentence it is the subject:

Ons ervaar ... = We are experiencing ...

Why is there no separate word for are in Ons ervaar?

Afrikaans often uses the simple present where English would use the present continuous.

So Ons ervaar can mean:

• We experience
• We are experiencing

The exact meaning depends on context. You usually do not need a separate word like English are here.

What is 'n, and how do I pronounce it?

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

A few important points:

• Afrikaans has only one form: 'n
• It is pronounced as a very weak neutral vowel, like the first sound in about
• The n is usually not strongly pronounced on its own
• It is normally unstressed

Also, 'n stays lowercase even at the beginning of a sentence. If a sentence starts with it, the next word gets the capital letter.