حكوا عن الزواج.

حكوا is the past tense, 3rd person plural form of حكى.

So it means they talked, they spoke, or sometimes they told depending on context.

In this sentence, with عن after it, the most natural meaning is:

• they talked about

So:

• حكوا عن الزواج = They talked about marriage

Grammatically, حكوا is the they form in the past tense.

In Levantine Arabic, this plural form is very often used for:

• a group of men
• a mixed group
• and often even for a group of women in everyday speech

So although older or more formal grammar may distinguish feminine plural forms, in normal Levantine conversation حكوا is commonly used as the general plural they talked.

Because Arabic verbs already include the subject.

In حكوا, the ending tells you the subject is they.

So Arabic does not need a separate pronoun here.
You could add one for emphasis, like:

• هنّ حكوا عن الزواج = They talked about marriage

But normally just حكوا is enough.

عن is a preposition meaning about.

So:

• حكى عن... = to talk about...

This is a very common pattern.

Compare:

• حكوا عن الزواج = They talked about marriage
• حكيت عن الشغل = I talked about work

A useful comparison:

• حكى مع someone = talked with someone
• حكى عن something = talked about something
• حكى لـ someone = told someone

الزواج has the definite article الـ, so literally it is the marriage or marriage in a general, definite sense.

In Arabic, abstract nouns often take الـ where English may use no article.

So عن الزواج is very natural for:

• about marriage
• about getting married
• about the topic of marriage

If you said عن زواج, that would usually sound less general and more tied to a marriage in some specific context.

Because ز is a sun letter.

With sun letters, the ل of الـ is not pronounced separately; it assimilates to the next consonant.

So:

• الزواج is pronounced roughly iz-zawāj or ez-zawāj in Levantine-style pronunciation

Not:

• al-zawāj

This assimilation happens in both Standard Arabic and colloquial speech.

A common pronunciation would be roughly:

• ḥako ʿan iz-zawāj or in some areas:
• ḥaku ʿan iz-zawāj

A few notes:

• ح is a strong breathy h
• ع in عن is a deep throat sound with no exact English equivalent
• -وا in حكوا may sound like -o or -u depending on region

So pronunciation can vary a little across Levantine dialects, but the meaning stays the same.

It can mean all of those, depending on context.

In Levantine, حكى is a very common everyday verb. It can mean:

• spoke
• talked
• said
• told

The preposition after it helps narrow the meaning.

For example:

• حكى عن الموضوع = He talked about the topic
• حكى معي = He talked with me
• حكى لي = He told me

So in حكوا عن الزواج, the presence of عن makes talked about the best translation.

Starting with the verb is very normal in Arabic.

So:

• حكوا عن الزواج = literally Talked-they about marriage

This verb-first order is common and natural.

But Arabic can also use a subject-first structure, especially if you want emphasis:

• هنّ حكوا عن الزواج = They talked about marriage

Both are possible, but the shorter verb-first version is very typical.

It leans colloquial because of حكوا.

In Levantine, حكى / يحكي is the everyday verb people often use for speaking or saying.

In more formal Modern Standard Arabic, you would more likely see something like:

• تحدثوا عن الزواج
• تكلموا عن الزواج

But الزواج itself is not especially colloquial; that noun works fine in both formal and informal Arabic.

So the sentence is a nice mix of:

• colloquial verb
• widely understood vocabulary

Here are the most useful related forms in Levantine:

• بيحكوا عن الزواج = They talk / are talking about marriage
• رح يحكوا عن الزواج = They will talk about marriage
• ما حكوا عن الزواج = They didn’t talk about marriage

So the sentence you have, حكوا عن الزواج, is specifically past tense: they talked about marriage.