Learn Dutch: Voor dit gerecht hebben we twintig gram knoflook nodig. - For this dish we need twenty grams of garlic.

In Dutch, when you express a quantity using a unit of measurement followed by the substance, you put them directly next to each other. You don't use a preposition like van. This noun phrase juxtaposition is the standard way to express quantities in Dutch.

Why is gram singular when the English translation says twenty grams?

In Dutch, masculine and neuter units of measurement like gram, kilo, liter, and meter remain in the singular form when they are preceded by a specific number greater than one. Since gram is a neuter noun, it stays singular after twintig.

Why is nodig placed at the very end of the sentence?

The Dutch equivalent for the verb 'to need' is the phrase nodig hebben. In a main clause, the conjugated verb (hebben) takes the second position, and the complement (nodig) is pushed to the very end of the sentence structure.

If I start the sentence with We, how does the word order change?

If you start with the subject, the sentence becomes We hebben voor dit gerecht twintig gram knoflook nodig. Because the original sentence starts with the prepositional phrase Voor dit gerecht, the subject we and the verb hebben must invert to keep the conjugated verb strictly in the second position.