Learn Turkish: Vay, bu araba çok güzel! - Wow, this car is really nice!

In Turkish, the "to be" verb (like "is" or "are") is usually left out for "he", "she", or "it" in the present tense. So, bu araba çok güzel literally means "this car very beautiful", but it naturally translates to "this car is very beautiful."

I thought güzel meant "beautiful". Can it also mean "nice"?

Yes! While güzel does mean "beautiful", it is also the most common word for "nice", "good", or "lovely". You will hear it used for the weather, a good idea, a delicious meal, or a nice car, just like in this sentence.

Does çok mean "very" or "a lot"?

It can mean both depending on the sentence. When you put çok right before an adjective like güzel, it acts as an adverb meaning "very" or "really". When used with a noun or a verb, it means "a lot" or "much".

Is vay the standard way to say "wow" in Turkish?

Yes, vay is a very common exclamation used to show surprise, shock, or admiration, exactly like "wow" in English. You might also hear the expanded phrase vay canına, which means "oh my goodness!"