Paul compte quatre-vingt-dix objets.

Compte is the third-person singular present tense form of compter, which means to count.

So:

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

Because the subject is Paul, you use compte: Paul compte.

Also, do not confuse this verb form with the noun un compte, which can mean an account.

In standard French, 90 is built in a way that is literally like four-twenty-ten:

• quatre = four
• vingt = twenty
• dix = ten

So quatre-vingt-dix is historically based on a base-20 system for some numbers.

Related forms:

• 80 = quatre-vingts
• 81 = quatre-vingt-un
• 90 = quatre-vingt-dix

This feels strange to English speakers at first, but it is completely normal in standard French.

A useful cultural note: in Belgium and some parts of Switzerland, many speakers say nonante instead of quatre-vingt-dix.

Because vingt only takes an s when it is multiplied and nothing follows it.

So:

• quatre-vingts = 80 → s appears
• quatre-vingt-un = 81 → no s
• quatre-vingt-dix = 90 → no s

A simple rule:

• exact 80: quatre-vingts
• 80 plus something: quatre-vingt-...

French compound numbers are normally written with hyphens.

Examples:

• vingt-deux
• trente-cinq
• quatre-vingt-dix

So the hyphens are just part of standard written French for this kind of number.

A rough pronunciation is:

ka-truh-van-dees

More exactly:

• quatre ≈ katr or ka-truh
• vingt has a nasal vowel, something like van but through the nose
• dix here sounds like dees

A few useful details:

• the t in vingt is silent
• the final sound of dix is pronounced here

So on its own, quatre-vingt-dix is approximately: ka-truh-van-dees

In the full sentence, many speakers connect dix to objets because objets begins with a vowel sound.

So dix objets is often pronounced roughly like:

dee-zob-zhay

That means the full group can sound roughly like:

ka-truh-van-dee-zob-zhay

Important details:

• vingt still has a silent t
• the x in dix can sound like z before a following vowel sound
• objets is pronounced roughly ob-zhay

After a specific number, French usually puts the number directly before the noun, without des or les.

So you say:

• trois livres
• dix chaises
• quatre-vingt-dix objets

This is normal French structure. The number itself is already determining the noun.

Because the quantity is more than one, the noun is plural:

• un objet
• deux objets
• quatre-vingt-dix objets

The plural is written with -s, but that final s is usually silent.

So objets is pronounced roughly:

ob-zhay

The j sound is like the s in measure.

Yes. This is a very normal French sentence pattern:

subject + verb + number + noun

So:

• Paul = subject
• compte = verb
• quatre-vingt-dix objets = what Paul is counting

This is directly parallel to a basic English structure like: Paul counts ninety objects.

Paul is pronounced very close to English Paul for many learners.

A rough guide is:

pohl

The l is pronounced, and it is not pronounced like pole.