هاي كانت مباراة حقيقية.

هاي is the Levantine colloquial word for this when referring to a feminine noun.

Here, the noun is مباراة (match/game), which is grammatically feminine, so هاي matches it.

A rough comparison:

• هاي = this (feminine, Levantine)
• Standard Arabic equivalent: هذه

In everyday speech, Levantine speakers often use هاي very naturally.

Because مباراة is feminine.

كان / كانت means was, and in Arabic the past-tense verb agrees with the subject in gender:

• كان = he/it was, masculine
• كانت = she/it was, feminine

Since مباراة is a feminine noun, you say:

• كانت مباراة...
• not كان مباراة...

A big clue is the ending ة (taa marbuuTa) in مباراة. Very often, nouns ending in ة are grammatically feminine.

Because مباراة is feminine, other words connected to it also become feminine, such as:

• كانت instead of كان
• حقيقية instead of حقيقي

So the sentence shows agreement all the way through.

Arabic does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

So:

• مباراة can mean a match
• المباراة means the match

That means مباراة حقيقية literally looks like match real, but in natural English it means a real match.

Because in Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• مباراة حقيقية = a real match

This is the normal pattern:

• noun + adjective

Also, the adjective must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

Since مباراة is feminine singular and indefinite, حقيقية is also feminine singular and indefinite.

Because it describes مباراة, which is feminine.

Arabic adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe. So:

• masculine: حقيقي
• feminine: حقيقية

That is why you get:

• مباراة حقيقية

and not:

• مباراة حقيقي

Yes, هاي literally means this.

But in real translation, Arabic demonstratives do not always line up perfectly with English this/that. Depending on context, a translator might choose:

• this was a real match
• that was a real match
• it was a real match

So grammatically, هاي is this, but the most natural English translation can vary depending on the situation.

Yes.

You could say:

• كانت مباراة حقيقية

That would mean something like:

• It was a real match
• That was a real match

Adding هاي makes the reference more explicit, like pointing to a specific event, game, or situation: this one / this thing here.

No. Levantine dialects vary by country and even by city.

Depending on the variety, you may also hear forms like:

• هيدي
• هادِه
• هاي

All of these can function as feminine this, though the exact form depends on the speaker’s dialect.

So هاي كانت مباراة حقيقية is very natural Levantine, but not the only possible regional version.

In colloquial Arabic, the verb to be is usually not said in the present tense.

So:

• هاي مباراة حقيقية = This is a real match

But in the past tense, Arabic does use كان/كانت:

• هاي كانت مباراة حقيقية = This was a real match

So one useful contrast is:

• present: هاي مباراة حقيقية
• past: هاي كانت مباراة حقيقية

A common Levantine-style pronunciation would be approximately:

• hay kaanet mbaara 7a2ee2iyye
• or more carefully: hay kānet mbāra ḥaʔīʔiyye

A few notes:

• هاي sounds like hay
• كانت sounds like kaanet / kānet
• مباراة is often pronounced more like mbaara / mbāra in everyday speech
• حقيقية is often pronounced ha2ee2iyye / ḥaʔīʔiyye

Exact pronunciation varies by region, but that gives you a good Levantine approximation.

حقيقية means real / genuine / actual.

In this sentence, it gives emphasis: the speaker is saying it was not fake, weak, or disappointing—it was the real thing.

Depending on context, it might sound like:

• This was a real match.
• This was a proper game.
• That was the real deal.

So the word adds a sense of authenticity or intensity, not just basic description.