Breakdown of Wir dürfen das Spiel nicht verlieren.
wir
we
nicht
not
dürfen
to be allowed to, may
das Spiel
the game/match
Questions & Answers about Wir dürfen das Spiel nicht verlieren.
Why is dürfen translated as "must" here instead of "may"?
This is a classic trap for English speakers! In German, nicht müssen means "don't have to" (you have a choice). To say "must not" (it is strictly forbidden or vital that it doesn't happen), you use nicht dürfen (literally "not allowed to").
Why is verlieren at the very end of the sentence?
Because this sentence uses a modal verb (dürfen). In standard German main clauses, the modal verb takes the second position, and the main action verb (verlieren) gets pushed to the very end in its basic infinitive form. This is great practice for remembering that German loves putting verbs at the end of the clause!
Why does nicht come after das Spiel?
When you negate an action in a sentence with a verb at the end, nicht usually goes right before that final verb. Here, it sits after the direct object (das Spiel) and immediately before the infinitive it negates (verlieren).
What would happen if I translated "We must not" literally and used müssen?
If you said Wir müssen das Spiel nicht verlieren, it would mean "We don't have to lose the game" (meaning losing is not required, but maybe still an option). Remember: "must not" is always nicht dürfen.