الحارس كان قدام المرمى وشاف الطابة.

A word-by-word breakdown:

• الحارس = the goalkeeper / the guard
• كان = was
• قدام = in front of
• المرمى = the goal
• و = and
• شاف = saw
• الطابة = the ball

So the sentence structure is very straightforward: The goalkeeper was in front of the goal and saw the ball.

A natural Levantine-style pronunciation would be something like:

el-ḥāres kān qaddām el-marma w shāf eṭ-ṭābe

Notes:

• الحارس → el-ḥāres
• قدام is often pronounced with a strong dd sound: qaddām
• المرمى is commonly said like el-marma
• والطابة becomes w eṭ-ṭābe or just w ṭ-ṭābe in fast speech
• الطابة has article assimilation, so the l of ال is not pronounced before ط

كان usually means was. In this sentence, it places the first part in the past:

• الحارس قدام المرمى = The goalkeeper is in front of the goal
• الحارس كان قدام المرمى = The goalkeeper was in front of the goal

So كان is there because the speaker is describing a past situation.

In Arabic, especially in the present tense, sentences often do not need a verb like is or are.

For example:

• الحارس قدام المرمى literally = the goalkeeper in front of the goal
• But in natural English, that means The goalkeeper is in front of the goal

When you want to put that idea into the past, Arabic often adds كان:

• الحارس كان قدام المرمى = The goalkeeper was in front of the goal

So قدام المرمى works as a location phrase, and Arabic does not need a separate verb like to be in the present.

قدام means in front of.

Examples:

• قدام البيت = in front of the house
• قدام المدرسة = in front of the school
• قدام المرمى = in front of the goal

It is extremely common in Levantine Arabic.

A related word you may also hear is:

• أمام = also in front of, but this is more formal / more Standard Arabic
• In everyday Levantine, قدام is much more natural

Because this is Levantine Arabic, not Modern Standard Arabic.

In everyday Levantine:

• شاف = he saw
• يشوف = he sees / he will see

In Modern Standard Arabic, the more formal verb is:

• رأى = he saw

A learner often notices that dialect Arabic uses a lot of everyday verbs that differ from MSA. شاف is the normal spoken choice here.

In Levantine Arabic, طابة is a very common everyday word for ball, especially in speech.

So:

• طابة = ball
• الطابة = the ball

You may also know:

• كرة = ball

But كرة feels more formal or MSA-like, while طابة is very natural in Levantine conversation, especially when talking about sports or kids playing.

This is because ط is a sun letter.

In Arabic, when ال comes before a sun letter, the l sound assimilates to the next consonant.

So:

• الطابة is written with ال
• but pronounced eṭ-ṭābe, not el-ṭābe

Compare:

• الحارس → el-ḥāres because ح is a moon letter, so the l is pronounced
• المرمى → el-marma because م is also a moon letter
• الطابة → eṭ-ṭābe because ط is a sun letter

الحارس is masculine singular.

If the goalkeeper were female, you would usually say:

• الحارسة كانت قدام المرمى وشافت الطابة

Changes:

• الحارس → الحارسة = the female goalkeeper / guard
• كان → كانت = was for feminine
• شاف → شافت = she saw

So Arabic verbs and nouns often change to match gender.

شاف is the past tense, 3rd person masculine singular form of the verb to see in Levantine.

So:

• شاف = he saw

Related forms:

• شفت = I saw
• شفت = you saw (masculine or feminine, depending on dialect/context)
• شافت = she saw
• شافوا = they saw

Because الحارس is masculine singular, شاف is the correct form.

و simply means and.

So:

• كان قدام المرمى = was in front of the goal
• وشاف الطابة = and saw the ball

In Arabic writing, و is attached directly to the next word:

• و + شاف → وشاف

That is completely normal.

Yes, Arabic often allows more than one word order, though some versions sound more natural than others.

This sentence:

• الحارس كان قدام المرمى وشاف الطابة

A possible variation:

• كان الحارس قدام المرمى وشاف الطابة

Both can work. The original sentence starts with the noun الحارس, which is very natural when you are introducing the topic: The goalkeeper...

Starting with كان can sound a little more narrative: The goalkeeper was...

So the original version is a very natural spoken choice, but Arabic is often flexible with order.

Yes. مرمى means goal in the sense of the football goal / target area.

So:

• المرمى = the goal

In sports contexts, this is a normal and useful word.

You might also hear other football vocabulary in Levantine, sometimes borrowed or mixed with MSA, but المرمى is very understandable and common.

It is basically a sentence with:

1. a subject
2. a past-state phrase
3. a second past verb joined with and

Breakdown:

• الحارس = subject
• كان قدام المرمى = past description of where he was
• وشاف الطابة = and he saw the ball

So it combines:

• a state/location: was in front of the goal
• an action: saw the ball

This is very common in Arabic storytelling.

Arabic often does not repeat the subject if it is already clear.

So instead of saying:

• الحارس كان قدام المرمى والحارس شاف الطابة

it naturally says:

• الحارس كان قدام المرمى وشاف الطابة

Once الحارس has been introduced, the verb شاف already implies he saw, so repeating the subject is unnecessary unless you want emphasis.

A more formal version might be:

• كان الحارس أمام المرمى ورأى الكرة

Differences:

• قدام → أمام = more formal for in front of
• شاف → رأى = formal / MSA for saw
• الطابة → الكرة = more standard word for the ball

But for everyday Levantine, the original sentence is much more natural:

• الحارس كان قدام المرمى وشاف الطابة

A few common pronunciation points:

• ح in الحارس is not like English h. It is a stronger, throatier sound.
• ق in قدام may be pronounced differently depending on the region:
  • sometimes like a glottal stop
  • sometimes closer to q
  • many learners simply saying qaddām is fine at first
• ش in شاف is sh
• ط in الطابة is an emphatic t, heavier than English t
• Double consonants matter:
  • قدام is often heard as qaddām, with a stronger d

If you aim for a natural Levantine rhythm, something like el-ḥāres kān qaddām el-marma w shāf eṭ-ṭābe will sound good.