Breakdown of بعد الفطور، بدأ يقرأ الأخبار بحماس.
الal
the
بbi
by, with (attached)
خبرkhabar
news item
قرأqara'a
to read
Questions & Answers about بعد الفطور، بدأ يقرأ الأخبار بحماس.
Why is there no أن (to) between بدأ and يقرأ?
This is a special rule for verbs of beginning (like بدأ). Unlike verbs such as want (يريد) which need أن before the next verb, verbs of beginning connect directly to a present tense verb. So, بدأ يقرأ literally means 'he started he reads', which translates to 'he started reading'.
Why does the sentence use the present tense verb يقرأ instead of a noun for 'reading'?
In Arabic, the standard way to express starting an action is to pair a past tense verb like بدأ (he started) directly with a present tense verb like يقرأ (he reads). You do not use the verbal noun (masdar) here; this verb-plus-verb combination naturally creates the meaning of starting to do an action.
The translation says 'with enthusiasm'. Why use the prefix بـ instead of the word مع (with)?
In Arabic, مع is used to mean alongside or accompanying someone or something physical (like 'with my friend' or 'coffee with milk'). When you want to express the manner in which an action is done using an abstract feeling or concept, you use the preposition بـ (by/in). Therefore, بحماس functions as an adverb meaning 'enthusiastically'.
Is the word for news, الأخبار, singular or plural?
It is a broken plural. The singular is خبر (a piece of news). While 'news' is usually treated as a singular noun in English, in Arabic it is plural. Because it is a non-human plural, any adjectives or pronouns describing it later in a sentence would need to be feminine singular.