Learn Dutch: Dan hoeven we de dobbelsteen niet te gooien. - Then we do not have to roll the die.

This is because of the "V2 rule" (verb-second). The sentence starts with the adverb Dan (Then). In Dutch, the conjugated verb must be the second element in a main clause. Because Dan takes the first spot, the verb hoeven takes the second spot, which pushes the subject we into the third spot. This is called inversion.

Why is the word te used before gooien?

The verb hoeven (to need) is almost always used with a negative word like niet to mean "do not have to". When hoeven is paired with another verb at the end of the sentence, that second verb must have te in front of it. So, "do not have to roll" becomes niet hoeven te gooien.

If hoeven means "need", why didn't we just use moeten (must) here?

In Dutch, niet moeten means "must not" (it is forbidden). When you want to say that someone "does not have to" or "doesn't need to" do something, you must use niet hoeven instead.

Why is niet placed after de dobbelsteen?