Learn Dutch: De winkelier hoeft je maar te verleiden, of je koopt impulsief alles. - The shopkeeper only has to tempt you, and you impulsively buy everything.

In Dutch, the combination of hoeft maar te (only has to) followed by of is a fixed structure. It expresses that one action inevitably and immediately leads to another. While English translates this as "only has to do X, and Y happens", Dutch specifically uses of in this cause-and-effect pattern.

I thought hoeven meant "don't have to". How does hoeft maar translate to "only has to"?

You are right that hoeven is mostly paired with negatives like niet or geen to mean "don't need to". However, it can also be paired with restrictive words like maar or slechts (only). Together, hoeft maar te means "only needs to" or "only has to."

Why is je placed right after hoeft? Is it the subject of the sentence?

No, de winkelier (the shopkeeper) is the subject of the first clause. The first je (you) is the direct object of the verb verleiden (to tempt). Because je is a pronoun, Dutch word order rules place it right after the finite verb (hoeft), well before the infinitive it actually belongs to.

Since this lesson covers om vervolgens te for sequences, could we use that here instead of of?