المحل كان غالي قبل، بس هلا صار رخيص.

the

Breakdown of المحل كان غالي قبل، بس هلا صار رخيص.

• هلا: now
• بس: but
• قبل: before

Questions & Answers about المحل كان غالي قبل، بس هلا صار رخيص.

What does المحل mean here?

In Levantine, المحل usually means the shop or the store. Literally, it can also mean the place/location, so context matters.

In this sentence, because the speaker is talking about something being expensive and then cheap, the most likely meaning is the shop or the place/business.

Why is كان used here?

كان is the past form of to be.

So:

• المحل كان غالي = the shop was expensive

A very important Arabic pattern is:

• In the present, Arabic usually does not use a word for is/am/are
• In the past, Arabic does use كان

So:

• المحل غالي = the shop is expensive
• المحل كان غالي = the shop was expensive

Does كان غالي mean was expensive or used to be expensive?

It can suggest either one, depending on context.

In this sentence, because you also have قبل and هلا, it strongly gives the idea of a previous state:

• before, it was expensive