Breakdown of Wir können neunzig Fotos machen.
machen
to make, to do
wir
we
können
can / to be able to
das Foto
the photo
neunzig
ninety
Questions & Answers about Wir können neunzig Fotos machen.
Is neunzig just the word for nine (neun) plus -zig?
Yes! To count by tens in German, you usually just take the base number and add -zig (which is like the English "-ty"). So neun (nine) becomes neunzig (ninety). You'll see this same pattern in words like vierzig (forty) and fünfzig (fifty), though watch out for a few slight spelling exceptions like dreißig (thirty).
Wait, doesn't machen mean "to make"? Why is the translation "take photos"?
You are exactly right that machen literally means "to make." But languages don't always match up word-for-word! While in English we "take" a picture, in German you always "make" a picture (ein Foto machen). If you tried to use the German word for "take" (nehmen), it would sound like you are physically picking up a printed photograph to walk away with it!
Why is machen at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the word können (can/to be able to). Können is a "helper" verb. In German, when you use a helper verb, it takes the normal second position in the sentence (Wir können...), and it kicks the main action verb (machen) all the way to the very end of the sentence in its basic, dictionary form.
I thought German plurals usually end in "-en" or "-e". Why is it Fotos?
While adding "-en" or "-e" is very common, adding an "-s" is the standard way to make a plural in German for words that were borrowed from other languages (like das Foto, das Auto, or das Restaurant), as well as for most nouns ending in a, i, o, u, or y.
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