Wij kunnen alvast beginnen met lezen.

Alvast here conveys the idea of “in advance” or “right away”, preparing for something. A natural English translation is:

• “We can start reading now.”
  You could also say “We can already start reading.”

Dutch follows the Verb Second (V2) rule in main clauses: the finite verb (kunnen) must occupy the second position. Here’s the structure:

1. Wij (subject, first position)
2. kunnen (finite verb, second position)
3. alvast beginnen met lezen (rest of the clause)

The verb beginnen can be followed by:

• met
  • noun or met
    • -en infinitive
• or in some contexts by te
  • infinitive (more literary).
    In everyday speech, beginnen met + infinitive is most common:
• beginnen met lezen = to start reading
  You could say “beginnen te lezen”, but it sounds a bit more formal or old‐fashioned.

After a modal verb (kunnen) or after beginnen met, Dutch uses the infinitive for the next action:

• Wij kunnen beginnen (infinitive)
• …beginnen met lezen (infinitive)

Both mean “we can,” but:

• wij is the full subject pronoun (slightly more emphatic or formal).
• we is the reduced form (colloquial).
  In everyday speech you’ll often hear we kunnen alvast beginnen met lezen.

Yes, you can say “Wij kunnen beginnen met lezen.”

• Without alvast, it simply states the ability to start.
• With alvast, you add the nuance “let’s do it right away/in advance.”