Paul compte seize vinyles.

Because compter is the infinitive, meaning to count, and compte is its third-person singular present tense form.

So:

• je compte = I count / I am counting
• tu comptes = you count
• il / elle / on compte = he / she / one counts

Since Paul is third-person singular, French uses compte.

French often uses the simple present tense where English can use either:

• Paul counts sixteen records
• Paul is counting sixteen records

So Paul compte seize vinyles can match either English version depending on context. French does not need a separate word like is here.

After a number, French normally uses the noun without an article.

So you say:

• seize vinyles = sixteen records
• trois chats = three cats
• vingt euros = twenty euros

You would not normally say des vinyles after seize, because the number already determines the noun phrase.

Because seize means sixteen, so the noun must be plural.

• un vinyle = one record
• deux vinyles = two records
• seize vinyles = sixteen records

In writing, French usually marks the plural with -s.

Usually no. In normal French pronunciation, the final -s of vinyles is silent.

So the singular and plural often sound very similar:

• vinyle
• vinyles

The difference is mainly visible in writing, or understood from the article/number before it.

A simple approximation for English speakers is:

pohl kont sez vee-neel

A few notes:

• Paul sounds roughly like pohl
• compte sounds like kont
• seize sounds like sez
• vinyles sounds roughly like vee-neel

The final letters in compte and vinyles are not fully pronounced.

Here un vinyle means a vinyl record.

In modern French, vinyle can refer to:

• the material vinyl
• a vinyl record, depending on context

In this sentence, because Paul counts sixteen vinyls/records, the meaning is clearly vinyl records.

Because standard French word order is usually:

subject + verb + object

So:

• Paul = subject
• compte = verb
• seize vinyles = object

This is the same basic order as in English:

Paul counts sixteen records.

Yes. Compter can have more than one meaning depending on context, including:

• to count / to count up
• to matter
• to intend
• to rely on

But in Paul compte seize vinyles, the meaning is clearly to count, because it is followed by a number and a noun.

Because French seize has a different sound system. It is pronounced roughly sez, not size.

Important points:

• the vowel is closer to eh/ay
• the final -ze does not sound like English -ize
• it is a one-syllable word in normal speech

So think sez, not size.

Normally, no important liaison is made here.

You would usually hear something like:

• Paul compte → no liaison
• compte seize → no liaison
• seize vinyles → usually no liaison

So the words stay fairly separate in pronunciation.

Because Paul is a proper noun, the name of a person. In French, personal names normally do not take an article in standard usage.

So:

• Paul compte...
• Marie parle...
• Julien arrive...

That works the same way as in English.

Not really, at least not as the most natural choice. Compter usually means to count or sometimes to include/number. If you want to say Paul has sixteen vinyl records, French would more naturally use avoir:

• Paul a seize vinyles. = Paul has sixteen vinyl records.

So Paul compte seize vinyles suggests an action of counting, or possibly that his collection numbers sixteen, depending on context.

Yes. Another very common word is disques.

For example:

• Paul compte seize disques.

But disque is broader and can mean disc in general, while vinyle specifically points to vinyl records. So vinyles is more precise here.