We've just bough D&D the lost mine of Phandelver and this will be the first D&D game we've ever played.
Was just looking for a little bit of help. We've read through the rules and are having trouble with the first combat phase (without giving any spoilers away) say the character is surprised to the monster goes first, the DM rolls the 20d to determine whether they hit or miss,
in the monsters stats it says
Scimitar ; melee weapon attack : +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 +2) slashing damage
what exactly does this mean and how much damage would the goblin do,
same goes for the characters, we understand that the 20d rolls to determine hit or miss based on armour class, but how do we know how much damage we do.
for example my human fighter using a great sword has +4 attack then under damage/type it says 2d6+2 slashing. with proficancy bonus of +2 and strength +4
how do you determine what damage my character would do
I hope someone can help because i really want to enjoy this game
Thanks
So for the scimitar example above, it is 1d20 + 4 vs Armor Class. Let's say the player has an AC of 14. So the DM rolls a d20, it comes up 10. Add 4 to that is 14, so the attack hits the player.
For the damage, as a DM you can either roll 1d6 and add 2 to the result, or just tell the player they take 5 damage.
For players, it's pretty muc hthe same. Let's say the enemy they want to attack has an AC of 14. The player's character has a bonus to hit of +6, (Strength stat of 18 is +4 modifier, Proficiency bonus of +2 at first level) so they would need to roll an 8 or higher on a d20 to hit.
If they hit, let's say the damage is 1d6+2, wel lthats simply rolling a single d6 and adding 2 to the result. Say you roll a 4, add 2 is 6 damage.
I hope that helps you out. I'd suggest reading through the Players Handbook a few times before trying to run a game. I've been playing D&D for 14 years, so I take understand the basics for granted.
The part after "hit" tells you the damage.
Scimitar ; melee weapon attack : +4 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 +2) slashing damage
In the adventure, there is a set damage amount (5 in your example) done, but you also are given the dice rolled for the damage if you'd rather have a random damage amount. If you want to roll, you roll a d6 then add 2 in this case.
For the PCs, the proficiency bonus and strength bonus are already figured into the damage, so (for the player you mention) you would roll 2d6 and add 2 to that for the final damage amount.
Hope this helps.
Thats fantastic! We've been sat here for an hour trying to understand the stats and what means what lol! Thanks so much for your help.
Think anyone would do a skype with us to help? ;) lmao!
Btw: Welcome to the hobby!
Thanks 
although my brain is constantly hurting lmao!
Not Skype, but I would be willing to do a google hangout with you in a little bit. If you're interested, let me know.