Starting actions (بدأ)

Whether you are diving into a new project at work or just kicking off your morning routine, you often need to describe the moment an action begins. In Arabic, verbs used to express the onset of an action belong to a special category called أفعال الشروع (verbs of beginning).

The Formula for Starting (بدأ)

To say someone "started doing" or "began to do" something, Arabic uses a straightforward two-verb structure:

بدأ (started) + [Subject] + Present Tense Verb

The most important rule for أفعال الشروع is that you do not use a connecting word like "to" between the two verbs. While in English you might say "he started to eat," in Arabic, you simply follow the past tense "starting" verb directly with the present tense action.

If the subject is explicitly named in the sentence, it typically sits right after the verb بدأ. Notice how the second verb always matches the subject in the present tense:

Using (شرع) as a Synonym

Another very common verb of beginning is شرع (to begin / to commence). It carries the same meaning as بدأ and follows the exact same grammatical rule: it is immediately followed by a present tense verb.

Just like any other verb, شرع and the action that follows it must agree with the gender of the subject. If a female subject starts an action, both verbs take their feminine forms:

Building a Narrative

These verbs of beginning are incredibly useful for telling stories or recounting a sequence of events. You can smoothly tie them into your narrative using time phrases like عندما (when) or simple conjunctions like و (and).

As you describe a busy morning or the first day on a new team, use these verbs to bring your narrative to life and show exactly when the action takes off.