قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة، عندنا حجز في الفندق.

قبل أن is a very common pattern meaning before [someone] does something.

• قبل = before
• أن = a particle used before a verb, often like to or as part of a clause such as before we begin

So:

• قبل أن نبدأ = before we begin / before we start

In Arabic, if you want before followed by a full verb clause, أن is very often used.

Compare:

• قبل الرحلة = before the trip
• قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة = before we begin the trip

The first is followed by a noun, and the second is followed by a verb.

After أن, Arabic normally uses the present-tense verb.

So:

• أن نبدأ literally uses a present-form verb
• but in meaning, it can refer to something future or expected: to begin / that we begin

That is normal Arabic grammar.

Also, after أن, the verb is technically in the subjunctive. In fully vowelled Arabic:

• indicative: نبدأُ
• subjunctive after أن: نبدأَ

In normal writing, those short vowels are usually not written, so both just appear as نبدأ.

نبدأ means we begin or we start.

It comes from the verb:

• بدأ = to begin / to start

So:

• أبدأ = I begin
• نبدأ = we begin
• يبدأ = he begins
• تبدأ = she begins / you begin

The root is ب د أ.

This is a useful everyday verb in Modern Standard Arabic.

الرحلة means the trip/journey, while رحلة means a trip/journey.

Here, الرحلة is used because the sentence is talking about a specific trip already known from the context:

• نبدأ الرحلة = we begin the trip

If you said نبدأ رحلة, that would sound more like we begin a trip in a more general or less specific sense.

So the definite article الـ works much like the in English.

Arabic often expresses possession differently from English.

• عند literally means something like at or with
• عندنا literally means at us / with us

But very often, it is used naturally to mean we have.

So:

• عندنا حجز = we have a reservation

This is a very common structure in Arabic.

Other similar examples:

• عندي كتاب = I have a book
• عندهم سيارة = they have a car

So even though it does not literally use a verb meaning have, this is the normal Arabic way to express possession in many contexts.

Yes. لدينا حجز في الفندق is also correct and natural.

Both can mean we have a reservation at the hotel, but there is a slight stylistic difference:

• عندنا is often a bit more everyday and conversational
• لدينا often sounds a bit more formal or written

In Modern Standard Arabic, both are common and correct.

حجز here means a reservation / booking.

It is indefinite because the meaning is:

• we have a reservation

not:

• we have the reservation

So:

• عندنا حجز = we have a reservation
• عندنا الحجز would mean something more like we have the reservation, which is a different idea and would need a special context

In Arabic, an indefinite noun often corresponds to English a/an even though Arabic does not have a separate word for a/an.

في الفندق literally means in the hotel, but in English we would usually say at the hotel.

Arabic uses في very often where English might use either in or at, depending on context.

So:

• حجز في الفندق = a reservation at the hotel

This is completely natural Arabic.

Yes, the parts could be rearranged, but the given order is very natural.

The sentence begins with a time clause:

• قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة = before we begin the trip

Then it gives the main statement:

• عندنا حجز في الفندق = we have a reservation at the hotel

This order is natural because it first sets the time frame and then gives the main information.

You could also say:

• عندنا حجز في الفندق قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة

That is also understandable, but the original version sounds smoother and more organized in many contexts.

The comma separates the introductory clause from the main clause:

• قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة، = introductory time clause
• عندنا حجز في الفندق. = main clause

This is similar to English punctuation:

• Before we begin the trip, we have a reservation at the hotel.

In modern Arabic writing, punctuation is used quite similarly to English in this kind of sentence. The comma helps readability, though punctuation can sometimes be a bit flexible.

Yes. A common shorter alternative is:

• قبل بدء الرحلة

This means before the start of the trip or before beginning the trip.

So you may see both patterns:

• قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة = before we begin the trip
• قبل بدء الرحلة = before the beginning of the trip / before starting the trip

The version with أن + verb feels more verbal and explicit.
The version with بدء is more compact and somewhat more noun-based.

A careful pronunciation would be roughly:

qabla an nabda'a ar-rihlata, ʿindanā ḥajzun fī al-funduqi

A few notes:

• قبل = qabla
• أن = an
• نبدأ has a hamza at the end of the root verb بدأ
• الرحلة is pronounced ar-rihlata in full grammatical pronunciation because the l of ال assimilates before ر
• عندنا = ʿindanā
• حجز = ḥajz
• الفندق = al-funduq

In normal pause pronunciation, some case endings are not heard, so learners often hear something closer to:

qabl an nabdaʾ ar-rihla, ʿindana ḥajz fī l-funduq

Here is a simple breakdown:

• قبل = before
• أن = particle before the verb
• نبدأ = we begin
• الرحلة = the trip
• عندنا = we have
• حجز = a reservation / booking
• في الفندق = at the hotel

So the structure is:

• [time clause] + [main clause]

More specifically:

• قبل أن نبدأ الرحلة = subordinate clause of time
• عندنا حجز في الفندق = main clause

This is a very useful sentence pattern in Arabic: before + أن + present verb, then the main statement.