قبل ما اطلع من البيت، اكلت فطور.

This is one of the most common things learners notice.

In Levantine Arabic, after قبل ما (before), you very often use the imperfect form of the verb, even when the whole sentence refers to the past.

So:

• قبل ما اطلع = before I go out / before I left
• اكلت فطور = I ate breakfast

Put together, it means:

• Before I went out of the house, I ate breakfast.

So even though اطلع is formally an imperfect verb, in this structure it refers to something that had not happened yet at that point in the past.

Because after قبل ما, Levantine usually prefers the imperfect verb.

So the natural pattern is:

• قبل ما + imperfect verb

Examples:

• قبل ما روح = before I go / before I went
• قبل ما نام = before I sleep / before I slept
• قبل ما اطلع = before I go out / before I went out

Using a past form like طلعت after قبل ما is generally not the normal everyday Levantine pattern here.

In Levantine, قبل ما is a very common fixed expression meaning before when it introduces a clause.

Compare:

• قبل ما اطلع = before I go out
• بعد ما رجعت = after I came back

Here, ما is not really being translated word-for-word as not. It is just part of the connector قبل ما.

So it is best to learn قبل ما as a chunk meaning:

• before + clause

Here اطلع means I go out / I leave.

The verb is from طلع / يطلع, which has a range of meanings in Levantine, including:

• to go up
• to come out
• to go out
• to leave

In this sentence:

• اطلع من البيت = I go out of the house / I leave the house

So من البيت makes it clear that the meaning is leave the house / go out from home.

Because Arabic verbs already show the subject.

• اطلع = I go out
• اكلت = I ate

So the pronoun أنا is not necessary.

You could say أنا for emphasis:

• قبل ما أنا اطلع من البيت، اكلت فطور

But in normal speech, leaving it out is more natural.

من البيت literally means from the house.

In Levantine, this is a normal way to express:

• leaving the house
• going out from home

So:

• اطلع من البيت = go out of the house / leave home

Even if English might often say leave home, Arabic commonly uses from here.

Yes. Literally:

• اكلت = I ate
• فطور = breakfast

So اكلت فطور is literally I ate breakfast.

That is a normal Arabic way to say it. English often says I had breakfast, but Arabic commonly uses eat.

You may also hear another very common Levantine way:

• فطرت = I had breakfast / I ate breakfast

So both ideas exist, but اكلت فطور is easy and clear.

Yes, فطور is very common in Levantine for breakfast.

A related verb is:

• فطر
• فطرت = I had breakfast

Depending on region and speaker, you may hear slightly different pronunciations, but فطور is very recognizable in Levantine speech.

Because Arabic allows this order very naturally:

• Before I went out, I ate breakfast.

So the sentence begins with the time-setting clause:

• قبل ما اطلع من البيت = before I leave the house

Then comes the main event:

• اكلت فطور = I ate breakfast

This is also natural in English. Arabic could sometimes rearrange things, but this order is perfectly normal and clear.

Yes. That would also be natural.

Compare:

• قبل ما اطلع من البيت، اكلت فطور
• اكلت فطور قبل ما اطلع من البيت

Both mean essentially the same thing:

• I ate breakfast before leaving the house.

The difference is mostly in focus and rhythm:

• starting with قبل ما... emphasizes the time frame first
• starting with اكلت فطور... emphasizes the action first

Excellent question.

In Levantine, the b- prefix often marks the ordinary present or habitual:

• بطلع = I go out / I usually go out

But after words like قبل ما, speakers often use the imperfect without b-:

• قبل ما اطلع = before I go out

So in this kind of clause, dropping b- is normal.

A broad everyday pronunciation might sound something like:

• 'abl ma otla3 mn il-bet, akalet ftoor
• or qabl ma otla3 mn il-bet, akalet ftoor

A few notes:

• قبل may be heard as 'abl or qabl, depending on region
• اطلع is often pronounced roughly otla3
• البيت is commonly il-bet in Levantine pronunciation
• فطور is roughly ftoor

Exact pronunciation varies by country, city, and speaker.

It is understandable and natural enough, but some speakers might choose an even more colloquial version.

For example, many speakers might say:

• قبل ما اطلع من البيت، فطرت

That is a bit tighter and more conversational because فطرت directly means I had breakfast.

Still, your original sentence:

• قبل ما اطلع من البيت، اكلت فطور

is absolutely clear and works well for learners.

A very useful breakdown is:

• قبل ما = before
• اطلع = I go out / I leave
• من البيت = from the house / from home
• اكلت = I ate
• فطور = breakfast

And the big grammar pattern is:

• قبل ما + imperfect verb
• then a main clause in the past if needed

So this sentence is a great model for saying:

• Before I did X, I did Y

For example:

• قبل ما روح، شربت قهوة = Before I went, I drank coffee.
• قبل ما نام، درست شوي = Before I slept, I studied a little.