Breakdown of شرع يقرأ التقرير الآن.
الal
the
الآنal-ân
now
قرأqara'a
to read
تقريرtaqrîr
report
شرعshara'a
to begin (to do something)
Questions & Answers about شرع يقرأ التقرير الآن.
Why do we use the present tense verb يقرأ right after the past tense verb شرع?
شرع is a verb of beginning, just like بدأ. In Arabic, to say someone "started doing" something, you use the past tense of the starting verb followed immediately by the present tense of the action verb. So شرع يقرأ literally means "he began he reads," which translates to "he began reading."
Why isn't there a word for "to" (like أن) between the two verbs?
Unlike some other verbs you have learned (such as "want to" or "like to"), verbs of beginning never take the word أن (to) before the second verb. You simply place the present tense action verb directly after the starting verb.
Is شرع used the exact same way as بدأ?
Yes, in this context they mean the same thing: "he began" or "he started." شرع is just another common verb in this category. You could replace it with بدأ and the sentence would mean the exact same thing.
Why does the sentence use the past tense شرع (began) but end with the word الآن (now)?
In Arabic, it is very common to use a past tense verb for the start of an action combined with الآن to show that the action was initiated in this very moment. The beginning itself is technically in the past (even if it was just a second ago), while the reading is happening right now.
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