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Ella necesita leer nueve o diez libros.

Ella necesita leer nueve o diez libros.
She needs to read nine or ten books.
From Lesson 51:Numbers 0 to 15 (cero, uno, dos…)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Ella necesita leer nueve o diez libros.

ella
she
leer
to read
el libro
the book
necesitar
to need
o
or
nueve
nine
diez
ten

Questions & Answers about Ella necesita leer nueve o diez libros.

Why do the numbers nueve and diez go before libros? I thought describing words usually go after the noun in Spanish.
You are right that most descriptive words, like colors or sizes, go after the noun. However, numbers are an exception! Cardinal numbers like nueve and diez always come right before the noun they are counting.
Do numbers like nueve and diez change their endings if they describe a feminine noun?
No, the numbers 2 through 15, including nueve and diez, stay exactly the same whether they are counting masculine nouns like libros or feminine nouns like sillas. The only number that changes based on gender is 1, which becomes un or una.
Why is the second verb leer not conjugated?
When you have two verbs working directly together in a phrase like "needs to read", only the first verb changes to match the person doing the action (ella necesita). The second verb stays in its infinitive form, which is the base dictionary form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir (leer).
How should I pronounce the z at the end of diez?
In Latin American Spanish, the letter z is pronounced exactly like the English letter s. Therefore, diez sounds just like dee-es.

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