الكمبيوتر شغال هلا، بس الطابعة خربانة.

In Levantine Arabic, the verb to be is usually left out in the present tense.

So:

• الكمبيوتر شغال = The computer is working / on
• الطابعة خربانة = The printer is broken

This is completely normal. Arabic does the same thing in both colloquial Levantine and Standard Arabic in present-time statements.

If you wanted past or future, then you would use a verb:

• الكمبيوتر كان شغال = The computer was working
• الكمبيوتر رح يكون شغال = The computer will be working

شغال means working, running, or on, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• الكمبيوتر شغال means the computer is working or the computer is on

You can use شغال for many machines and devices:

• المكيف شغال = The AC is running
• التلفزيون شغال = The TV is on
• الإنترنت شغال = The internet is working

It can also be used with people in other contexts to mean working/busy/employed, so the exact meaning depends on what it describes.

هلا means now or right now in Levantine Arabic.

So:

• الكمبيوتر شغال هلا = The computer is working now

You may also see it written:

• هلأ
• هلق in some regions

These are regional/spelling variations in colloquial Arabic. They all refer to now.

Here, بس means but.

So the sentence structure is:

• الكمبيوتر شغال هلا، بس الطابعة خربانة
• The computer is working now, but the printer is broken

Important note: بس can also mean only / just in other contexts.

For example:

• بس هيك = just like that / that’s all
• عندي بس دولار = I only have a dollar

So the meaning of بس depends on context.

Because الطابعة (the printer) is a feminine noun, and adjectives in Arabic usually agree with the noun in gender.

So:

• masculine: خربان = broken
• feminine: خربانة = broken

Since طابعة is feminine, you say:

• الطابعة خربانة

The same applies to شغال / شغالة:

• الكمبيوتر شغال because كمبيوتر is treated as masculine
• الطابعة شغالة if you wanted to say the printer is working

Yes, خربان / خربانة is a very common everyday Levantine way to say something is broken, damaged, or not working.

Examples:

• السيارة خربانة = The car is broken
• الموبايل خربان = The phone is broken
• الغسالة خربانة = The washing machine is broken

It sounds natural in conversation. In more formal Arabic, you might hear words like معطّل / معطّلة, but خربان / خربانة is very common in spoken Levantine.

الـ is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• الكمبيوتر = the computer
• الطابعة = the printer

Even though كمبيوتر is a borrowed word, it still behaves like an Arabic noun in many ways, including taking الـ.

This is very normal in Levantine:

• الإنترنت = the internet
• التلفزيون = the television
• الراديو = the radio

Because ط is a sun letter, so the ل in الـ is not pronounced clearly. Instead, it assimilates to the next consonant.

So الطابعة is pronounced roughly like:

• eṭ-ṭaabʿa or iṭ-ṭaabʿa

not al-taa-biʿa

This is a very common Arabic pronunciation rule. In writing, the الـ stays the same, but in speech the l sound disappears before sun letters.

By contrast, in الكمبيوتر, ك is not a sun letter, so the l is pronounced:

• el-kombyooter

Yes. This is a very natural structure:

• subject + description
• الكمبيوتر شغال
• الطابعة خربانة

Then the two parts are connected with بس (but).

So the whole sentence is:

• الكمبيوتر شغال هلا، بس الطابعة خربانة

This kind of structure is extremely common in everyday Arabic when describing the current state of something.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• الطابعة خربانة = The printer is broken
• الطابعة مش شغالة = The printer isn’t working

The second one is a bit broader. It could mean the printer is off, disconnected, out of ink, jammed, or otherwise not functioning.
خربانة more strongly suggests that something is actually wrong with it or it’s damaged.

So both are possible, but خربانة is more specific.

It can move somewhat, and speakers may place it where it sounds most natural.

In this sentence:

• الكمبيوتر شغال هلا

is perfectly natural.

You might also hear:

• هلا الكمبيوتر شغال
• الكمبيوتر هلا شغال

The exact placement can shift a bit for emphasis or flow, but الكمبيوتر شغال هلا is a common and easy pattern for learners.

A more formal or Standard Arabic version might be:

• الكمبيوتر يعمل الآن، لكن الطابعة معطّلة.

That said, the original sentence:

• الكمبيوتر شغال هلا، بس الطابعة خربانة.

is much more natural for everyday Levantine conversation.

So if your goal is speaking Levantine, the original version is the one to learn first.