Yüz gülüyor.

The face is smiling.

Breakdown of Yüz gülüyor.

• yüz: the face

Questions & Answers about Yüz gülüyor.

What does yüz mean in this sentence?

Although yüz can mean either face or hundred in Turkish, the context here makes it clear that it means face—the part of a person that can express an emotion like smiling.

How is the present continuous tense indicated in gülüyor?

The suffix -yor is attached to the verb stem from gülmek (to laugh/smile) to form the present continuous tense. So gülüyor literally means is laughing or, more idiomatically in context, is smiling.

Why is there no article like the before yüz?

Turkish does not use definite or indefinite articles. Therefore, even though we translate Yüz gülüyor as The face is smiling in English, there is no equivalent word for the in the original Turkish sentence.

Why is there no separate verb for is in this sentence?

In Turkish, the meaning of to be in the present tense is incorporated into the verb conjugation itself. Gülüyor already carries the meaning of is laughing/smiling, so a separate copula like is is not needed.

Is it common to omit explicit subject pronouns in Turkish even when the subject is mentioned?

Yes, Turkish is a pro-drop language, which means that explicit subject pronouns are often omitted when they are clear from the verb conjugation. In this sentence, even though the subject is present as yüz, you’ll frequently see sentences where the subject is entirely dropped because the verb form makes it obvious.

Could yüz ever be confused with the numeral hundred, and how do learners avoid this confusion?

Indeed, yüz can mean hundred as well, but the surrounding context is key. Since gülüyor describes an action typically associated with a face, it’s clear in this sentence that yüz refers to face, not the number hundred.