Breakdown of We hoeven de afwas niet te doen, want de vaatwasser doet het.
niet
not
doen
to do
het
it
want
because
we
we (unstressed form of wij)
de afwas
the dishes
hoeven
to need (to)
te
to (infinitive marker)
de vaatwasser
the dishwasher
Questions & Answers about We hoeven de afwas niet te doen, want de vaatwasser doet het.
Why is te placed right before doen instead of next to hoeven or niet?
In the hoeven niet te + infinitive structure, the word te always belongs directly in front of the infinitive verb at the end of the clause. Here, the conjugated verb (hoeven) takes the normal second position, while the object (de afwas) and the negative word (niet) step in before te doen.
Could I say We moeten de afwas niet doen instead?
No, because that would mean "We must not do the dishes" (meaning it is forbidden!). In Dutch, when you want to express a lack of obligation ("don't have to" or "don't need to"), you cannot use moeten. You must use hoeven combined with a negative word like niet or geen, plus te.
Why is the word order normal after want (de vaatwasser doet het) instead of the verb going to the end?
Want (because) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it simply glues two regular sentences together without changing the word order. If you used the other Dutch word for because, omdat, the verb would get kicked to the end: ... omdat de vaatwasser het doet.
Are de afwas and de vaatwasser related words?
They both relate to doing the dishes, but they use different roots. De afwas means "the washing up" or the dirty dishes themselves. De vaatwasser is the dishwasher machine. Another common word for dirty dishes is de vaat, which is exactly where vaatwasser (dish-washer) gets its name!
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