Wij versieren de kamer en proosten.

Both wij and we mean we.

The difference is mostly about stress and style:

• we is the more common, unstressed form in everyday speech
• wij is the stressed or more formal/full form

So:

• We versieren de kamer en proosten = very normal in speech
• Wij versieren de kamer en proosten = also correct, and can sound a bit more emphatic or formal

In a standalone learning sentence, wij is very common because it shows the full pronoun clearly.

Because the subject is wij (we), and in the present tense Dutch verbs usually take the infinitive form with wij/jullie/zij.

So you get:

• ik versier
• jij versiert
• hij/zij versiert
• wij versieren

And similarly:

• ik proost
• wij proosten

This is one reason learners often feel that wij forms are relatively easy in Dutch.

No. Versieren can have more than one meaning.

In this sentence, with de kamer (the room), it clearly means to decorate.

But in other contexts, versieren can also mean something like:

• to chat someone up
• to flirt with
• to pick someone up romantically

So Dutch learners often notice that it has both a literal/decorating meaning and a romantic/social meaning. Here, because the object is the room, only decorate makes sense.

Because kamer is a de-word in Dutch.

Dutch singular nouns take either:

• de
• or het

And you simply have to learn which article belongs with each noun. For kamer, the correct form is:

• de kamer = the room

So:

• de kamer = correct
• het kamer = incorrect

A useful thing to memorize is the noun together with its article: de kamer, not just kamer.

Because Dutch, like English, often leaves out the repeated subject when two actions have the same subject and are joined by en (and).

So:

• Wij versieren de kamer en proosten.

means the same subject, wij, does both actions:

• we decorate the room
• and (we) toast

You could say:

• Wij versieren de kamer en wij proosten

but that sounds more repetitive and would usually only be used for emphasis.

No. Proosten can be used without an object.

By itself, it means something like:

• to make a toast
• to say cheers
• to toast

So Wij ... proosten is already a complete idea.

If you want to say what people are toasting to, Dutch often uses op:

• Wij proosten op het nieuwe jaar. = We toast to the new year.
• Ze proosten op haar verjaardag. = They toast to her birthday.

So in your sentence, the object is simply left unstated.

The first part follows normal Dutch main clause word order:

• Wij = subject
• versieren = finite verb
• de kamer = object

So:

• Wij versieren de kamer

Then en joins a second action:

• en proosten

You can think of the full structure as:

• Wij versieren de kamer en (wij) proosten.

This is very natural Dutch. The second subject is omitted because it is the same as the first one.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The Dutch present tense often works like the English present tense, but it can be a little broader. So:

• Wij versieren de kamer en proosten.

could mean:

• We are decorating the room and making a toast (right now, depending on context)
• We decorate the room and toast (as part of a routine or tradition)

Dutch often relies on context words to make the time meaning clearer, such as:

• nu = now
• elk jaar = every year
• vanavond = tonight

A rough English-friendly guide is:

• wij ≈ a bit like why, but with a Dutch w
• versieren ≈ ver-SEE-ren
• proosten ≈ PROHS-tuh(n)

A few notes:

• Dutch w is not exactly the same as English w; it is softer and closer to the lips
• ie in versieren sounds like ee
• oo in proosten is a long o sound

These are only approximations, but they are good enough to help a beginner start recognizing the words.