Learn Swedish: Familjen spelar fotboll. - The family plays football.

In Swedish main clauses, the verb almost always takes the second position. This is known as the V2 rule. Since the subject Familjen takes the first spot, the verb spelar must come right after it to form a standard Subject-Verb-Object order.

Why does the sentence use familjen instead of just familj?

Familjen means "the family". In Swedish, you do not put a separate word for "the" in front of the noun. Instead, you add a suffix to the end. Because familj is an "en-word", you add -en to the end to get familjen.

Can this sentence also mean "The family is playing football"?

Yes! Swedish does not have a separate verb form for ongoing actions (like "is playing" in English). The present tense verb spelar translates to both "plays" and "is playing", depending on the context.

Because a family is a group of people, does the verb spelar need to be in a plural form?

No. First, familjen is grammatically a singular noun (one family). Second, Swedish verbs never change their form based on who or how many people are doing the action! You use spelar for "I play", "we play", and "the family plays".