بدأ
bada'a
To start in Arabic is بدأ (bada'a).
The verb بدأ is used to express the action of beginning something. Related nouns include اِبْتِدَاء, which refers to the beginning of an activity and نَجْمَة, which can refer to the beginning point of a race.
Meaning: to begin (verb)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, the verb بلَّش is used to mean start.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes based on tense and person. The third-person masculine singular past tense form is بَدَأَ (he started), and the first-person singular past tense form is بَدَأْتُ (I started). For the present tense, يبدأ is used to mean starts or is starting.
How do you pronounce it?
bada'a
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, the word بلّش (ballash) is used for 'start', which is believed by some linguists to be derived from the French word 'billet' meaning a ticket.
- When starting a formal speech or a religious gathering, it is customary to say بسم الله (In the name of God) before using any verb for 'starting'.
- While بدأ is the standard word for 'start', the concept of starting a journey or a path is often expressed through the word انطلق, which literally means 'to launch' or 'to be released'.
Examples in context
- سمع زيري الباب بدأ يفتح.Ziri heard the door start to open.This sentence shows the use of بدأ in the context of a door opening.Tatoeba #11685399 by dididodo, translation #10862334 by Amastan
- لماذا بدأت ترتدين الحجاب؟Why did you start wearing hijab?This sentence uses بدأ to ask about the start of an action.Tatoeba #11982746 by dididodo, translation #8572704 by Amastan
- متى بدأت الجزائر تصدر النفط؟When did Algeria start exporting oil?This sentence uses بدأ to ask about the timing of a historical or economic event.Tatoeba #10322657 by Amghar, translation #10079992 by Amastan
- الدورة سوف تبدأ في الساعة العاشرة صباحاً.The session will start at 10 AM.
- يجب أن يبدأ الحفل في الموعد المحدد.The event should start at the designated time.
- بلشوا بدوني بالوجبة.They started eating without me.
- ابتديت الدوام الجديد في الشركة.I started the new job at the company.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maryam and Youssef are preparing to study together.
- مريم Maryamمتى بدأ يوسف يدرس؟Mata bada' Youssef yadrus?When did Youssef start studying?
- يوسف Youssefبدأت قبل ساعة يا مريم.Bada'tu qabla sa'ah ya Maryam.I started an hour ago, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamهل بدأ الدرس الآن؟Hal bada' ad-dars al-aan?Did the lesson start now?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، بدأ منذ دقيقة.Na'am, bada' mundhu daqiqah.Yes, it started a minute ago.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
