Breakdown of Sence masumca mı gülümsüyor?
sen
you
gülümsemek
to smile
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
masum
innocent
sence
in your opinion (informal)
Questions & Answers about Sence masumca mı gülümsüyor?
How does sence translate to "in your opinion"?
The word sen means "you". By adding the equative suffix -ce, it becomes sence, which translates to "according to you" or "in your opinion". This is the standard way to ask for someone's viewpoint in Turkish!
What is the suffix -ca doing in the word masumca?
Why is the question particle mı in the middle of the sentence instead of at the end?
In Turkish, the question particle usually comes right after the specific thing you are asking about. By placing mı directly after masumca, the speaker is emphasizing that part: "Is it innocently that he is smiling?" If it were at the end (gülümsüyor mu?), it would just ask a general question about whether he is smiling at all.
Why does the verb gülümsemek (to smile) become gülümsüyor here?
The root of the verb is gülümse-. When you add the present continuous suffix -yor, a rule called vowel narrowing applies. The ending vowel e in the root narrows to ü to match vowel harmony rules, resulting in gülümsüyor instead of "gülümseyor".
Learn Sence masumca mı gülümsüyor and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free