Bedeutung
Pretending not to see a mistake.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The phrase is deeply linked to 'idare etmek', a social survival skill in Turkey where people overlook small faults to maintain 'huzur' (peace). Similar to Italy or Greece, Turkish culture often values personal relationships over rigid bureaucracy, making 'göz yummak' a common social lubricant. In modern Turkish offices, 'göz yummak' is increasingly criticized as a barrier to 'kurumsallaşma' (institutionalization). Historically, the 'Kadı' (judge) was sometimes expected to 'göz yummak' to minor social indiscretions to prevent public scandal.
The Power of the Dative
Always remember the -e/-a suffix. Without it, the sentence will sound broken to a native speaker.
Don't use for death!
Never say 'göz yumdu' when you mean someone died. It sounds like they ignored a mistake while dying.
Bedeutung
Pretending not to see a mistake.
The Power of the Dative
Always remember the -e/-a suffix. Without it, the sentence will sound broken to a native speaker.
Don't use for death!
Never say 'göz yumdu' when you mean someone died. It sounds like they ignored a mistake while dying.
Use in Job Interviews
If asked about your weaknesses, you can say 'Bazen ekip arkadaşlarımın küçük hatalarına fazla göz yumuyorum' to sound like a compassionate leader.
The 'Eyvallah' Connection
Turning a blind eye is often part of the 'Eyvallah' culture—accepting things as they are for the sake of peace.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'göz yummak'.
Müdür, çalışanların hatalarına asla ______.
The word 'asla' (never) requires a negative verb, and the general statement usually takes the aorist (geniş zaman) negative.
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Which of these describes someone ignoring a rule intentionally?
This is the only sentence where 'göz yummak' is used to mean 'ignoring a transgression'.
Match the situation to the correct Turkish response.
Your friend is smoking in a non-smoking area and the security guard sees it but walks away.
The guard saw it but chose to ignore it, which is exactly what 'göz yummak' means.
Complete the dialogue.
Ayşe: 'Oğlun bütün gün oyun oynuyor, bir şey demeyecek misin?' Mehmet: 'Bugün sınavı bitti, o yüzden ______.'
Mehmet is allowing his son to play as a reward/tolerance, so 'göz yumuyorum' is the correct idiom.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMüdür, çalışanların hatalarına asla ______.
The word 'asla' (never) requires a negative verb, and the general statement usually takes the aorist (geniş zaman) negative.
Which of these describes someone ignoring a rule intentionally?
This is the only sentence where 'göz yummak' is used to mean 'ignoring a transgression'.
Your friend is smoking in a non-smoking area and the security guard sees it but walks away.
The guard saw it but chose to ignore it, which is exactly what 'göz yummak' means.
Ayşe: 'Oğlun bütün gün oyun oynuyor, bir şey demeyecek misin?' Mehmet: 'Bugün sınavı bitti, o yüzden ______.'
Mehmet is allowing his son to play as a reward/tolerance, so 'göz yumuyorum' is the correct idiom.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenNot necessarily. It can be a sign of kindness or flexibility, like a teacher ignoring a minor slip-up.
Yes, you can say 'Kendi hatalarıma göz yumuyorum' (I ignore my own mistakes), though it's less common.
'Göz yummak' is more about authority and allowing something to happen. 'Görmezden gelmek' is just pretending not to see.
Göz yumuyoruz (Present), Göz yumduk (Past), Göz yumacağız (Future).
Yes, especially when discussing ethics, audits, or management styles.
No, you only 'göz yum' to actions, behaviors, or situations.
No, it requires an indirect object in the dative case.
In slang, people might say 'çakmamak' (not to notice/act like not noticing), but 'göz yummak' is very common even in casual speech.
No, it is only for faults or things that are technically wrong.
'Hesap sormak' (to hold accountable) or 'müdahale etmek' (to intervene).
Verwandte Redewendungen
görmezden gelmek
synonymTo ignore/pretend not to see.
göz ardı etmek
similarTo disregard or neglect.
müsamaha göstermek
formalTo show tolerance.
alttan almak
similarTo tolerate someone's behavior to avoid conflict.
göz yummamak
contrastTo not tolerate.
