Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Yüz öğrenci hasta.
Why does the sentence use just yüz instead of bir yüz for "one hundred"?
In Turkish, you do not use the word bir (one) before yüz (100) or bin (1,000). Saying just yüz naturally means "one hundred".
Why is öğrenci (student) in the singular form when there are one hundred of them?
This is a strict rule in Turkish: anytime you use a number before a noun to count it, the noun must stay singular. Because we used the number yüz, we cannot add the plural ending -ler to öğrenci.
Where is the verb "are" in this sentence?
In simple descriptive sentences, Turkish often doesn't use a separate word for "is" or "are" for the third person (he/she/it/they). You simply state the subject (yüz öğrenci) followed by the adjective (hasta) to mean they "are sick".
I've seen the word yüz used in other contexts. Does it have multiple meanings?
Yes, yüz is a famous Turkish homophone. Depending on the context, it can mean "hundred", "face", or it can be the command form of the verb "to swim". Here, placed right before a countable noun, it is clearly the number.