البداية كانت صعبة.

A common Levantine pronunciation is:

el-bidāye kānet saʿbe

You may also hear:

l-bidāye kānet saʿbe

A few notes:

• البداية → el-bidāye = the beginning / the start
• كانت → kānet = was
• صعبة → saʿbe = difficult / hard

Useful pronunciation points:

• The ع in صعبة is a deep throat sound that English does not have.
• The final ة often sounds like -e in Levantine, so صعبة is saʿbe, not saʿba in everyday speech.
• ال is usually pronounced el- or reduced to l- in Levantine.

ال is the Arabic definite article, equivalent to the in English.

So:

• بداية = a beginning / beginning
• البداية = the beginning

In this sentence, Arabic is talking about the beginning as a specific stage or period, so ال is natural.

كانت is the feminine singular past form of كان, which means to be in past-tense structures.

Here it means was.

So the sentence structure is:

• البداية = the beginning
• كانت = was
• صعبة = difficult

Together: The beginning was difficult.

Arabic often uses forms of كان to make sentences past tense.

Because البداية is a feminine noun.

In Arabic, verbs and adjectives often agree with the noun in gender.

So:

• masculine: كان
• feminine: كانت

Since بداية is feminine, the correct form is كانت.

Because adjectives in Arabic usually agree with the noun they describe.

Since البداية is feminine singular, the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• masculine: صعب
• feminine: صعبة

So:

• البداية كانت صعبة = correct
• البداية كانت صعب = incorrect

A big clue is the ending ة (called taa marbuuTa).

Words ending in ة are very often feminine. So:

• بداية is feminine
• therefore it takes:
  • كانت
  • صعبة

This is one of the most useful patterns for beginners to notice.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• البداية صعبة = The beginning is difficult
• البداية كانت صعبة = The beginning was difficult

In Arabic, present-tense nominal sentences usually do not need a word for is.

So:

• present: no is needed
• past: use كان / كانت

It works in both.

البداية كانت صعبة is fully understandable and natural in:

• Modern Standard Arabic
• Levantine Arabic

The main difference is usually pronunciation, not the basic grammar.

For example:

• MSA-style pronunciation: al-bidāyah kānat ṣaʿbah
• Levantine pronunciation: el-bidāye kānet saʿbe

So the written sentence is standard, but a Levantine speaker would pronounce it in a Levantine way.

Because this is a very normal Arabic sentence pattern:

subject + was + adjective

So:

• البداية = subject
• كانت = was
• صعبة = adjective

Arabic and English are similar here:

• The beginning was difficult
• البداية كانت صعبة

So the word order is not strange in this sentence.

Yes. صعب / صعبة can mean:

• difficult
• hard
• tough

The exact best translation depends on context.

So this sentence could also be understood as:

• The beginning was hard
• The start was difficult
• At first, it was tough

البداية comes from the idea of beginning / starting, related to the root ب د أ.

A learner does not need to master the root system immediately, but it helps to notice connections such as:

• بدأ = he began / started
• بداية = beginning
• البداية = the beginning

This can help you build vocabulary faster.

In Levantine, the final ة is usually pronounced like -e in pause or normal speech.

So:

• البداية → bidāye
• صعبة → saʿbe

This is why the spoken Levantine pronunciation sounds a little different from the formal written form.

In more formal or MSA pronunciation, you may hear something closer to:

• bidāyah
• ṣaʿbah

But in Levantine, -e is very common.