Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Arabic grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about الشباب بلشوا الشغل.
Where is the word for they in this sentence?
It is built into the verb بلشوا.
In Levantine Arabic, verbs usually already tell you person + number, so بلشوا means they started. Because the sentence also has the explicit subject الشباب, you do not need a separate pronoun.
So:
- بلشوا = they started
- الشباب بلشوا = the guys/young men started
A separate pronoun such as هنّ would only be used for emphasis or contrast.
What exactly does بلشوا break down into?
بلشوا is the past-tense plural form of بلّش, which means to start / to begin in Levantine.
Breakdown:
- بلّش = he started
- بلشوا = they started
The ending ـوا is the marker for they in the past for a masculine or mixed group.
A rough pronunciation is ballashu.
Is this sentence in the past tense?
Yes. بلشوا is a past/perfective form, so the sentence describes a completed event: they started.
If you wanted other time frames, you could say for example:
- الشباب بيبلشوا الشغل = the guys start / are starting the work