يبدأ الشوط الآن.

يبدأ means he begins, it begins, or it starts.

In this sentence, it means it begins because the subject is الشوط.

Grammatically, يبدأ is:

• a present tense / imperfect verb
• 3rd person masculine singular

Its root is ب د أ, which relates to beginning or starting.

A useful base form is:

• بدأ = he began
• يبدأ = he begins / is beginning / begins

In Arabic, the present tense often covers several English meanings depending on context, such as:

• begins
• is beginning
• does begin

Here, with الآن (now), the natural sense is is beginning now or begins now.

Arabic often allows both verb-first and subject-first word order.

So both of these are possible:

• يبدأ الشوط الآن
• الشوط يبدأ الآن

The sentence you have uses the very common verb-subject order:

• يبدأ = begins
• الشوط = the round / half / bout / race segment
• الآن = now

This word order is very normal in Modern Standard Arabic, especially in straightforward narration or announcement style.

The version الشوط يبدأ الآن is also understandable, but it puts the subject first and can feel slightly more like The round is starting now with more emphasis on the round.

In standard Arabic, when the verb comes before the subject, the verb is usually kept in the singular, even if the subject is explicit.

So with a singular subject like الشوط, this matches naturally:

• يبدأ الشوط = the round begins

This rule becomes especially noticeable with plural subjects. For example:

• بدأ اللاعبون = the players began

  Even though اللاعبون is plural, the verb often appears in singular form when it comes first.

But when the subject comes first, full agreement is expected:

• اللاعبون بدأوا = the players began

In your sentence, since الشوط is singular masculine anyway, يبدأ is exactly what we expect.

الشوط can mean different things depending on context. Common meanings include:

• round
• half
• leg
• heat
• bout
• a stage or segment in a race or competition

Its exact translation depends on the situation:

• in sports, it might be half or round
• in racing, it might be lap, heat, or leg
• in combat sports, it could be round or bout

So يبدأ الشوط الآن could be translated differently depending on context:

• The round begins now
• The half starts now
• The next leg starts now

The grammar stays the same; only the best English word changes with context.

الـ is the Arabic definite article, meaning the.

So:

• شوط = a round / a half / a bout
• الشوط = the round / the half / the bout

In your sentence, it refers to a specific known round or stage, so the is used:

• الشوط = the round

الآن means now.

It is an adverb of time, and in this sentence it comes at the end:

• يبدأ الشوط الآن = The round begins now

That position is very natural in Arabic.

You may also see الآن in other positions for emphasis, such as:

• الآن يبدأ الشوط = Now the round begins
• الشوط يبدأ الآن = The round begins now

All are possible, but your sentence is simple and standard.

A careful pronunciation is roughly:

yabda'u

Break it down like this:

• يَ = ya
• بْ = b
• دَ = da
• ءُ = a glottal stop with u ending in full vocalization

So the word has a small pause/catch in the throat at the hamza:

• yab-da-ʾu

In normal reading without full case endings, many learners say something like:

• yabda'

That is fine as a learning approximation.

The important thing is not to smooth it into something like yabda with no hamza at all. The ء is a real consonant.

In fully vowelled formal Arabic, الشوط would be الشوطُ with ḍammah, because it is the subject of the verb.

So the fully vocalized sentence would be:

يبدأ الشوطُ الآنَ

Here:

• يبدأ = verb
• الشوطُ = subject, so nominative
• الآنَ = often written with fatḥah in fully vocalized text

In most everyday printed Arabic, these short vowel endings are not written, so you usually just see:

• يبدأ الشوط الآن

Yes. The Arabic present tense is broader than the English simple present.

Depending on context, يبدأ الشوط الآن may be understood as:

• The round begins now
• The round is beginning now
• The round starts now

English chooses between simple and progressive more strictly than Arabic does. Arabic often leaves that distinction to context.

Because of الآن (now), English often prefers:

• The round is beginning now or
• The round starts now

Yes. The main verb comes from the root ب د أ.

This root is associated with beginning and starting. Some related words and forms are:

• بدأ = he began
• يبدأ = he/it begins
• ابدأ = begin! (command to one male)
• بداية = beginning
• مبدأ = principle, starting point

Learning the root helps you recognize related vocabulary more easily.

Yes, sometimes, but يبدأ is more common and simpler.

You may encounter:

• يبدأ = begins
• يبتدئ = begins / commences

Both can work in formal Arabic, but يبدأ is usually the more common everyday choice in Modern Standard Arabic.

So:

• يبدأ الشوط الآن is perfectly natural.

The verb would change to agree in gender.

For example, if the subject were a feminine noun like المباراة (the match), you would say:

• تبدأ المباراة الآن = The match begins now

Why?

• يبدأ = masculine singular
• تبدأ = feminine singular

In your original sentence, الشوط is masculine, so يبدأ is correct.

It is fully natural in Modern Standard Arabic and sounds like something you might hear in:

• sports commentary
• announcements
• broadcasts
• formal narration

It is short, clear, and neutral in tone.

In spoken dialects, the wording might change depending on the country, but in MSA this sentence is completely standard.