En el jardín veo quince perros y dieciséis gatos.
In the garden, I see fifteen dogs and sixteen cats.
Breakdown of En el jardín veo quince perros y dieciséis gatos.
y
and
el perro
the dog
el gato
the cat
en
in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)
Questions & Answers about En el jardín veo quince perros y dieciséis gatos.
How do we build numbers like dieciséis in Spanish?
For numbers 16 through 19, you combine diez (ten), y (and), plus the single digit. When written as one word, the z changes to a c and the y becomes an i. So, diez y seis becomes dieciséis. The numbers 11 through 15 are just unique single words, like quince (fifteen).
Why does dieciséis have an accent mark, but quince does not?
When we combine words to make dieciséis, the spoken stress falls heavily on the last syllable. Spanish spelling rules require an accent mark on that é to show this exception. Quince is a standard word with the stress naturally falling on the next-to-last syllable (quin-ce), so it needs no accent mark.
Do numbers like quince or dieciséis change if I am counting feminine words instead of masculine ones like perros?
No. Unlike the number one (un or una), the cardinal numbers from 11 to 20 never change their spelling to match the gender of the noun. It would still be quince gatas for fifteen female cats.
I know yo means 'I', so why doesn't the sentence say yo veo?