Breakdown of Yüz gülüyor.
yüz
the face
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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?