Learn Dutch: De familie eet laat in de avond. - The family eats late in the evening.

The infinitive verb is eten (to eat). To find the stem, we remove -en, leaving et. To keep the vowel sound long, we double the e, making the stem eet. Because the stem already ends in a t, Dutch spelling rules say we don't add a second one. So, for he, she, it, or de familie, the verb form just stays eet.

Is familie treated as singular or plural in Dutch?

It is treated as singular. Even though a family has multiple people, the word familie represents one single group. That is why it takes the singular verb eet instead of the plural eten. This works just like English, where we say 'the family eats' instead of 'the family eat'.

Does familie mean the exact same thing as 'family' in English?

Mostly yes, but there is a handy distinction in Dutch! De familie usually refers to your extended family (cousins, aunts, grandparents). If you are talking about your immediate, nuclear family (parents and children living together), the Dutch use a different word: het gezin.

Are there other common ways to say in de avond?