ناقشنا المسالة.

A natural Levantine-style pronunciation would be something like nāʔašna l-masʔale in many urban accents.

A few notes:

• ناقشنا can sound like nāqašna or nāʔašna, depending on how the speaker pronounces ق.
• المسألة is often pronounced il-masʔale or, when connected after the verb, just l-masʔale.
• The final ة is usually heard as -e in Levantine speech.

So the whole sentence may sound closer to nāʔašna l-masʔale than to a very formal reading.

ناقشنا breaks down as:

• ناقش = he discussed
• -نا = we

So ناقشنا means we discussed.

A very common thing for learners to notice is that there seems to be نا twice:

• the نا at the beginning is just part of the verb pattern ناقش
• the -نا at the end is the actual ending meaning we

So only the ending -نا is the subject marker.

No. Arabic often puts the subject inside the verb itself.

In ناقشنا, the ending -نا already tells you the subject is we. So Arabic does not need a separate word like we here.

That is very normal:

• ناقشتُ = I discussed
• ناقشتَ = you discussed (masculine)
• ناقشنا = we discussed

Yes. ناقشنا is in the past/perfect form.

Arabic does not need a separate word like did in this sentence. The past meaning is built into the verb form itself.

So:

• ناقشنا = we discussed not we discuss and not we are discussing

الـ is the Arabic definite article, meaning the.

So:

• مسألة = an issue / a problem / a question
• المسألة = the issue / the problem / the question

It is attached directly to the noun, unlike English, where the is a separate word.

In standard spelling, this word is usually written المسألة.

So the fully standard version of the sentence is:

ناقشنا المسألة.

Why the difference?

• Many people omit the hamza in casual typing.
• But formally, مسألة should include the hamza.

So:

• المسالة = common informal spelling
• المسألة = standard spelling

مسألة is a feminine noun that can mean things like:

• issue
• problem
• matter
• question (in some contexts)

The exact English choice depends on context.

In Levantine and in Standard Arabic, this is a fairly common word, but it can sound a bit more formal than some everyday alternatives.

Arabic very often allows, and often prefers, starting with the verb.

So ناقشنا المسألة is literally:

• discussed-we the-issue

This is completely normal Arabic structure.

You could also make the subject more explicit, but you do not need to. Since the verb already contains we, the short sentence is perfectly complete.

It is understandable in Levantine, but it sounds a bit formal or educated.

A Levantine speaker could absolutely say it, especially in a serious or formal context. But in very everyday speech, people might also choose a more colloquial phrasing, depending on the exact meaning, such as talking about the topic/problem in a less formal way.

So the sentence is:

• natural enough
• understandable everywhere
• slightly on the formal side for everyday spoken Levantine

That depends on the region and accent.

Possible pronunciations include:

• q sound: nāqašna
• glottal stop ʔ: nāʔašna

In many urban Levantine accents, especially Syrian and Lebanese city speech, ق often becomes a glottal stop. So learners will often hear nāʔašna.

But keeping q is also possible in more formal speech or in accents that preserve it.

The ending ـة (called taa marbuuTa) usually marks a noun as feminine.

So مسألة is grammatically feminine.

In Levantine pronunciation, this ending often sounds like -e when you pause:

• masʔale

In more formal reading, it can sound more like -a:

• masʔala

Both facts are useful:

• in writing, it is ـة
• in Levantine speech, it often sounds like -e

Yes. Depending on context, ناقش can also suggest:

• discuss
• debate
• go over
• examine a topic

So it often has a sense of actively talking through an issue, not just casually mentioning it.

That fits well with مسألة, since ناقش مسألة often means discussing a problem, issue, or question in some detail.