Rodina sedí kolem stolu.

Because rodina means family as a single unit, so grammatically it is a singular noun in Czech.

That is why the verb is singular too:

• rodina sedí = the family is sitting

If you wanted to focus on the individual people, you could use a plural noun instead, for example:

• Členové rodiny sedí kolem stolu. = The family members are sitting around the table.

Sedí is the present tense form of the verb sedět (to sit, to be sitting).

In this sentence, it means:

• sits
• or more naturally in English, is sitting

Czech present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous meanings that English separates:

• Rodina sedí kolem stolu. = The family sits around the table / The family is sitting around the table

In real translation, is sitting is usually the better choice here.

Because kolem is a preposition that requires the genitive case.

So:

• dictionary form: stůl = table
• after kolem: stolu = of the table / around the table

This is a very common thing in Czech: the preposition determines the case of the noun after it.

Here kolem means around.

So:

• kolem stolu = around the table

It gives the idea that the family members are positioned on different sides of the table, surrounding it.

A useful comparison:

• u stolu = at the table
• kolem stolu = around the table

U stolu is often more general, while kolem stolu more clearly emphasizes the circular or surrounding arrangement.

Because Czech nouns change form depending on their case.

Stůl is the nominative singular form. After kolem, it must be in the genitive singular, which is stolu.

So:

• stůl → nominative
• stolu → genitive

This noun also shows a stem change:

• ů becomes o in some forms

So learners often need to memorize it as:

• stůl
• bez stolu
• kolem stolu

Because Czech does not have articles like English a, an, and the.

So rodina can mean:

• a family
• the family

And stolu can mean:

• a table
• the table

Which one is meant depends on context. In this sentence, English would most naturally say The family is sitting around the table, but Czech does not need separate article words to express that.

Yes. Czech word order is quite flexible because the case endings show what each word is doing.

The neutral order here is:

• Rodina sedí kolem stolu.

But you could also say:

• Kolem stolu sedí rodina.
• Sedí kolem stolu rodina.

These versions are grammatically possible, but they change the focus or emphasis.

Very roughly:

• Rodina sedí kolem stolu. = neutral statement
• Kolem stolu sedí rodina. = emphasis on around the table
• Sedí kolem stolu rodina. = can sound more literary, contrastive, or context-driven

Good question: sedí can be both 3rd person singular and 3rd person plural in the present tense.

So:

• On sedí. = He is sitting.
• Oni sedí. = They are sitting.

In your sentence, we know it is singular because the subject is rodina, which is grammatically singular.

Often, yes, depending on what you want to say.

• Rodina sedí u stolu. = The family is sitting at the table.
• Rodina sedí kolem stolu. = The family is sitting around the table.

Both are correct, but they are not exactly the same:

• u stolu focuses on being at the table
• kolem stolu focuses on being around it, on multiple sides

So kolem stolu is perfectly fine when that spatial picture matters.

A rough pronunciation guide would be:

• Rodina ≈ RO-di-na
• sedí ≈ se-DEE
• kolem ≈ KO-lem
• stolu ≈ STO-loo

A more connected rough English-style approximation:

RO-di-na se-DEE KO-lem STO-loo

A few useful points:

• r is rolled or tapped
• dí has a long ee sound
• stress in Czech usually falls on the first syllable of each word

So the stress pattern is:

• ROdina SEdí KOlem STOlu