Wij zitten samen om de tafel.

A word-for-word breakdown is:

• Wij = we
• zitten = sit / are sitting
• samen = together
• om = around
• de tafel = the table

So the sentence is literally something like We are sitting together around the table.

Dutch has both wij and we for we.

• wij is the fuller, more stressed form
• we is the unstressed, very common everyday form

In many sentences, both are possible:

• Wij zitten samen om de tafel.
• We zitten samen om de tafel.

Both mean the same thing.
Wij can sound a bit more emphatic, formal, or careful. In normal speech, we is often more common.

Dutch often uses posture verbs such as:

• zitten = to sit
• staan = to stand
• liggen = to lie

where English might simply use to be.

So Dutch prefers being more specific about position. If people are seated, zitten is natural:

• Wij zitten aan tafel. = We are sitting at the table.

Using zijn would usually not be as natural here if the idea is that people are physically seated.

Because the subject is wij (we), the verb must match the first person plural.

The infinitive is zitten. In the present tense:

• ik zit = I sit / I am sitting
• jij zit = you sit / you are sitting
• hij/zij zit = he/she sits / is sitting
• wij zitten = we sit / we are sitting
• jullie zitten = you all sit / are sitting
• zij zitten = they sit / are sitting

So wij zitten is the correct agreement.

Samen means together. It emphasizes that the people are not just sitting there, but doing it as a group.

Without samen:

• Wij zitten om de tafel. = We are sitting around the table.

With samen:

• Wij zitten samen om de tafel. = We are sitting together around the table.

So samen adds a sense of shared action or togetherness.

Yes — this is a very natural question, because these expressions are close but not identical.

• om de tafel = around the table
• rond de tafel = around the table
• aan tafel = at the table

Some nuance:

• aan tafel is extremely common when you mean people are seated at a table.
• om de tafel and rond de tafel emphasize the idea of being around it.
• In figurative language, om de tafel zitten can also mean to sit down together for discussion/negotiation.

So:

• Wij zitten aan tafel. = We are sitting at the table.
• Wij zitten rond de tafel. = We are sitting around the table.
• Wij zitten om de tafel. = We are sitting around the table.

Depending on context, om de tafel may sound slightly more idiomatic in the figurative sense of discussion, while rond de tafel can sound a bit more clearly physical/literal.

Yes. This is normal Dutch main-clause word order:

• Wij = subject
• zitten = finite verb
• samen = adverb
• om de tafel = prepositional phrase

So the structure is:

Subject + verb + adverb + prepositional phrase

That is completely standard.

You could move things around for emphasis, but the given order is very natural.

Yes, it can be either.

Literal: People are physically seated around a table.

Figurative: People are meeting to talk, negotiate, or discuss something together.

For example, in business or politics, om de tafel zitten is often used like to sit down together or to come to the table in English.

So context tells you whether it is about actual sitting or about discussion.

Yes, very often.

In everyday Dutch, we is usually more common than wij unless the speaker wants emphasis.

So in casual speech, many people would naturally say:

• We zitten samen om de tafel.

Using wij is not wrong at all — it just sounds a bit more full or deliberate.

Wij is pronounced roughly like the English word why.

The Dutch ij sound is important and appears in many common words.
So:

• wij ≈ why

That said, the exact Dutch vowel is not identical to English, but why is a good approximation for a beginner.