Gülümseme herkesi mutlu eder.

A smile makes everyone happy.

Breakdown of Gülümseme herkesi mutlu eder.

• herkes: everyone
• mutlu: happy
• etmek: to make
• gülümseme: the smile

Questions & Answers about Gülümseme herkesi mutlu eder.

What part of speech is gülümseme and how does it differ from gülümsemek?

gülümsemek (with -mek/-mak) is the infinitive “to smile.”
gülümseme (with -me/-ma) is a noun, meaning “smiling” or “a smile.”
In Gülümseme herkesi mutlu eder, we need a noun as the subject, so we use gülümseme.

Why is herkesi used instead of herkese or just herkes?

• herkes = “everyone” (nominative, basic form)
• herkesi = “everyone” in the accusative case (direct object)
• herkese = dative case (“to everyone”)
  In this sentence “everyone” is what’s being made happy (a definite, specific group), so we mark it with the accusative suffix -i, giving herkesi.

Why does Turkish say mutlu eder instead of a single verb like “cheer” or “gladden”?

Turkish often uses etmek (“to do/make”) after an adjective to form “make [someone] [adjective].”
Here mutlu = “happy,” so mutlu etmek = “to make [someone] happy.”
mutlu eder is the 3rd-person-singular form, “(it) makes [them] happy.”

Could we say mutlu yapmak instead of mutlu etmek?

Both yapmak and etmek can follow adjectives to mean “make.”
However, mutlu etmek is the standard, most idiomatic collocation for “make someone happy.”
mutlu yapmak is understandable but uncommon.

Why are there no articles like a or the before gülümseme?

Turkish does not use articles. Definite or indefinite meaning is conveyed by context or by case endings.
So gülümseme can mean “a smile,” “the smile,” or “smiling” depending on context—no extra word is needed.

What is the typical word order in this sentence?

Turkish follows Subject-Object-Verb order.
In Gülümseme herkesi mutlu eder:
• Subject = Gülümseme (smiling)
• Object = herkesi (everyone)
• Verb phrase = mutlu eder (makes [them] happy)

Why isn’t there a pronoun for “it” or “them” in mutlu eder?

Turkish drops pronouns when they’re clear from context.
Here, herkesi (“everyone”) is already marked as the object, so the verb doesn’t need an extra “them.”
Likewise, gülümseme is the subject, so there’s no separate “it.”

How do you pronounce Gülümseme herkesi mutlu eder, and where is the stress?

IPA transcription: /gyˈlym.se.me herˈke.si mutˈlu eˈder/

• ü = a front rounded vowel (like German ü)
• Each syllable is clearly pronounced.
• Word stress in Turkish usually falls on the last syllable of each word:
  • gü-lüm-se-ME
  • her-KE-si
  • mut-lu E-DER

Could we also say Gülümsemek herkesi mutlu eder? What’s the nuance?

Yes. Gülümsemek herkesi mutlu eder literally means “To smile makes everyone happy.”
Using gülümsemek (infinitive) is slightly more abstract or formal, while gülümseme (noun) treats “smiling” as a concrete concept or thing. Both are grammatically correct.