sixteen
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sixteen
The cardinal number 16, the number between fifteen and seventeen, represented by the digits 1 and 6.
In Deutschland darf man mit sechzehn Jahren Bier und Wein kaufen.
In Germany, you are allowed to buy beer and wine at the age of sixteen.
Note that when forming 'sechzehn' (sixteen), the 's' at the end of 'sechs' (six) is dropped. It is pronounced and written 'sechzehn', not 'sechszehn'. The same applies to 'sechzig' (sixty).
Meine kleine Schwester ist gerade sechzehn Jahre alt geworden.
My little sister has just turned sixteen.
When the number is used as a noun, for example for a house number, a bus route, or a jersey number, it is feminine: 'die Sechzehn' (the sixteen).
Der Bus mit der Nummer sechzehn fährt direkt zum Bahnhof.
The bus with the number sixteen goes directly to the station.
The number 16 has important legal significance in Germany. From this age, for example, you are allowed to buy and consume certain light alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine.
Mit sechzehn dürfen Jugendliche in Deutschland den Mopedführerschein machen.
At sixteen, young people in Germany are allowed to get a moped license.
six
'sechs' and 'sechzehn' are both numbers and sound similar at the beginning. 'sechs' means the number 6, while 'sechzehn' means the number 16. Learners may confuse them because in 'sechzehn', the word 'sechs' is almost audible. The ending is important: in 'sechzehn', you still hear and write '-zehn'. In quantities, prices, or numbers, this difference of course matters a lot.
Am Montag brauche ich sechzehn Plätze für den Workshop.
On Monday, I need sixteen seats for the workshop.
Vor dem Termin drucke ich sechs Kopien für die Besprechung aus.
Before the appointment, I print out six copies for the meeting.