هو ولع الفحم.

A common pronunciation is huwwa wallaʿ il-faḥem.

A few notes:

• هو is often pronounced huwwa or huwwe, depending on the region.
• ولع here is pronounced wallaʿ, with a doubled l.
• The last sound ʿ represents ع, a throat sound that does not exist in English.
• الفحم is often pronounced il-faḥem or el-faḥem in everyday speech.

Because everyday Arabic writing often leaves out short vowels and the shadda mark.

So even though you see ولع, speakers understand it here as ولّع = wallaʿ.

That means:

• the l is doubled
• the verb is the common colloquial verb meaning to light / ignite / set on fire

Context makes this clear, since الفحم fits naturally as something you ignite.

It is past tense.

More specifically, it is:

• 3rd person
• masculine
• singular

So by itself, ولّع already means he lit or he ignited.

Arabic past-tense verbs usually include the subject information inside the verb itself.

Because Arabic can include the subject pronoun for:

• emphasis
• contrast
• clarity
• a more subject-first word order

So both of these can work:

• هو ولع الفحم
• ولع الفحم

The second one is often more neutral, because the verb already tells you the subject is he.
Including هو can feel a bit like he lit the charcoal or it was he who lit the charcoal, depending on context.

Here it means to light, to ignite, or to set on fire.

With الفحم, it means he started the charcoal burning.

In Levantine, ولّع is a very common everyday verb for lighting things such as:

• charcoal
• a fire
• a cigarette
• a candle
• a stove

الفحم means the charcoal or the coal, depending on context. In a sentence like this, charcoal is often the most natural interpretation.

The الـ is the definite article, meaning the.

A useful thing to remember:

• Arabic often uses the definite article in places where English may or may not use the
• so you should not always translate الـ mechanically

Also, in pronunciation:

• ف is a moon letter
• so the l in الـ is pronounced clearly: il-faḥem

It sounds colloquial and very natural in Levantine.

A more formal equivalent in Modern Standard Arabic would often use أشعل, such as:

• أشعل الفحم
• هو أشعل الفحم

Levantine speakers commonly use ولّع in everyday conversation.

Yes. Arabic allows different word orders.

For this sentence, common possibilities include:

• هو ولع الفحم
• ولع الفحم

The first is subject + verb + object.
The second is verb + object, with the subject understood from the verb.

In Levantine speech, subject-first order is very common, so هو ولع الفحم sounds natural.

You change both the pronoun and the verb form.

Examples:

• I lit the charcoal → أنا ولّعت الفحم
• She lit the charcoal → هي ولّعت الفحم
• We lit the charcoal → نحنا ولّعنا الفحم
• They lit the charcoal → هم ولّعوا الفحم

So the verb changes to match the subject, just like in many other Arabic sentences.