حكوا عن الزواج.

They talked about marriage.

Breakdown of حكوا عن الزواج.

• عن: about
• حكى: to talk
• زواج: marriage

Questions & Answers about حكوا عن الزواج.

What does حكوا mean exactly?

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

Is حكوا masculine, feminine, or both?

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.

Why is there no separate word for they?

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.

What does عن do in this sentence?