Familjen sitter omkring bordet.

Because familjen is the definite form of familj (family).

In Swedish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

• familj = family
• familjen = the family

So Familjen sitter omkring bordet literally contains the family, not just family.

For the same reason: bordet is the definite form of bord (table).

• bord = table
• bordet = the table

So Swedish expresses the table by adding -et to the noun, rather than using a separate word.

Because Swedish usually puts the definite meaning directly on the noun.

Compare:

• English: the family

• Swedish: familjen

• English: the table
• Swedish: bordet

So in this sentence, both nouns already include the:

• Familjen = the family
• bordet = the table

Swedish often uses position verbs where English just uses is/are.

Here, sitter means is sitting / are sitting. It tells you the family is in a seated position, not just that they exist there.

So:

• Familjen är omkring bordet would sound less natural in this context.
• Familjen sitter omkring bordet naturally means they are seated around the table.

This is very common in Swedish:

• Han sitter i köket. = He is in the kitchen / He is sitting in the kitchen.
• Boken ligger på bordet. = The book is on the table.
• Lampan står på golvet. = The lamp is on the floor.

Swedish likes to describe how something is positioned.

The dictionary form is sitta, which means to sit.

• att sitta = to sit
• sitter = present tense, sit / is sitting / are sitting

So in this sentence:

• Familjen sitter = The family is sitting

Omkring means around.

So omkring bordet means around the table.

It describes position: the family is seated around the table.

In everyday Swedish, learners will also often see:

• runt bordet = around the table

Both can work, though runt is often more common in casual speech.

They are very similar here, and in this sentence either one can mean around.

• Familjen sitter omkring bordet.
• Familjen sitter runt bordet.

Both mean essentially the same thing.

A small nuance:

• runt is often more common and conversational
• omkring can sound a little more formal or literary in some contexts

But in a sentence like this, both are natural and understandable.

In Swedish, familjen is grammatically singular because it is one unit: the family.

That means the verb is singular too:

• Familjen sitter = The family is sitting

English varies:

• American English usually prefers the family is
• British English may sometimes say the family are

Swedish normally treats familjen as singular in sentences like this.

Yes. The basic word order here is straightforward:

• Familjen = subject
• sitter = verb
• omkring bordet = place expression

But Swedish can move parts around for emphasis, as long as the verb stays in second position in main clauses.

For example:

• Omkring bordet sitter familjen.

This is possible, but it is less neutral and gives more emphasis to around the table.

The original sentence is the most natural basic version for a learner:

• Familjen sitter omkring bordet.

Yes. Sitter specifically suggests a seated position.

So this sentence does not just mean the family is somewhere near the table. It suggests they are sitting around it, probably on chairs.

If they were standing, Swedish would likely use:

• Familjen står omkring bordet. = The family is standing around the table.

So the verb gives important physical information.

Usually it suggests people are positioned around the table, but it does not have to mean a perfect circle or that every side is occupied.

It simply means they are gathered around it.

In normal usage, the sentence gives a general picture:

• the family is seated around the table
• probably together for a meal, conversation, or activity

So it is more about the overall arrangement than a precise geometric description.

If you wanted to say a family is sitting around a table, Swedish would use the indefinite forms:

• En familj sitter omkring ett bord.

Compare:

• Familjen sitter omkring bordet. = The family is sitting around the table.
• En familj sitter omkring ett bord. = A family is sitting around a table.

This helps show the difference between definite and indefinite nouns in Swedish.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

fa-MIL-yen SIT-er om-KRING BOR-det

A few notes:

• familjen sounds roughly like fa-MIL-yen
• sitter has a short i, somewhat like sit-ter
• omkring has stress on the second part: om-KRING
• bordet is roughly BOR-det

This is only an approximation, but it can help you get started.