Vi sitter rundt ilden.

Because Norwegian normally uses å sitte when you want to say that someone is in a sitting position.

So:

• Vi sitter rundt ilden = We are sitting around the fire
• Vi er rundt ilden would sound less natural if you want to describe the physical action or position of sitting

In other words, å være means to be, but å sitte tells you how the people are positioned.

Yes. Sitter is the present tense of å sitte.

Norwegian does not usually need a special progressive form like English am sitting / are sitting. The simple present often covers both:

• I sit
• I am sitting

So Vi sitter rundt ilden can naturally mean We are sitting around the fire.

Also, Norwegian verbs do not change by person in the present tense:

• jeg sitter
• du sitter
• vi sitter

The form stays the same.

Here, rundt means around.

In this sentence, it shows position: the people are sitting around the fire, probably in a circle or loose ring.

So the structure is:

• vi = we
• sitter = sit / are sitting
• rundt ilden = around the fire

In Norwegian, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word before it.

So:

• ild = fire
• ilden = the fire

This is a very important feature of Norwegian grammar.

Compare:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

So ilden literally looks like fire-the, but in natural English it is simply the fire.

In Bokmål, ild is normally treated as a masculine noun, which is why the definite singular form is ilden.

Basic singular forms:

• en ild = a fire
• ilden = the fire

Yes, gender matters because it affects the article and the ending of the definite form.

This is the normal word order for a simple statement:

• Vi = subject
• sitter = verb
• rundt ilden = adverbial phrase of place

So it follows the usual pattern:

subject + verb + other information

Norwegian main clauses also follow the V2 rule, meaning the finite verb is normally in the second position. That is why if you move rundt ilden to the front, the verb still comes second:

• Rundt ilden sitter vi.

That version is possible, but it sounds more marked or literary. The most neutral version is:

• Vi sitter rundt ilden.

Yes, you could. Omkring can also mean around.

But there is a small difference in style:

• rundt = very common, everyday, natural
• omkring = also correct, but often a bit more formal or literary

So for most everyday situations, rundt is the more natural choice.

That depends on exactly what kind of fire you mean.

• ild = fire in a general sense
• bål = bonfire, campfire, or a fire built intentionally outdoors

If the image is specifically people sitting around a campfire, many Norwegians would very naturally say:

• Vi sitter rundt bålet.

So Vi sitter rundt ilden is understandable and correct, but rundt bålet may sound more specific if you mean a campfire.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

vee SIT-er runt IL-den

A few notes:

• Vi sounds like vee
• sitter has a short i, like in sit
• rundt ends with a clear t
• ilden starts with il-, like ill, and the d is pronounced

The exact pronunciation varies somewhat by region, but that approximation is a good start.