ثم تضع أمي الزيت في قدر كبير وتبدأ بطبخ اللحم على نار هادئة.

ثم means then, and it shows sequence: one action happens after another.

• ثم = then / after that
• و = and

In a recipe or set of instructions, ثم is very common because it helps show the order of steps.

So:

• ثم تضع أمي الزيت... = Then my mother puts the oil...

It suggests this is the next step after something mentioned earlier.

The verb تضع comes from وضع = to put / place.

Here it means she puts, because the subject is أمي (my mother), which is feminine singular.

In the present tense:

• أضع = I put
• تضع = she puts / you (masc.) put
• يضع = he puts
• نضع = we put

So in this sentence, تضع is correct because أمي is she.

أمي means my mother.

It is made from:

• أم = mother
• ـي = my

So:

• أم = mother
• أمي = my mother

The final ـي is the possessive suffix my.

It is usually pronounced ummī.

Both are possible in Arabic, but Arabic often prefers verb-first order, especially in narrative or descriptive sentences.

So:

• تضع أمي الزيت... = literally puts my mother the oil...
• Natural English meaning: My mother puts the oil...

This is a normal Arabic word order:

• Verb + subject + object

You could also say:

• أمي تضع الزيت...

That is also correct, but it feels slightly more like emphasizing my mother.

الزيت means the oil.

The prefix الـ is the definite article, like the in English.

So:

• زيت = oil
• الزيت = the oil

In recipe language, Arabic often uses the even where English might sometimes just say oil, because the ingredient is understood as a specific one being used in the dish.

Here قدر means pot.

In this sentence it is pronounced qidr.

This is useful because the spelling قدر can represent different words depending on vowels, such as:

• قِدر = pot
• قَدَر = fate / destiny

In this sentence, because of the cooking context, it clearly means pot.

So:

• في قدر كبير = in a large pot

In Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• قدر كبير = a large pot
  • قدر = pot
  • كبير = large

This is the normal order in Arabic:

• noun + adjective

Unlike English, which usually uses:

• adjective + noun

Because قدر is a masculine noun.

Arabic adjectives must agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness

So:

• قدر كبير = a large pot
• نار هادئة = a low/calm fire

Here:

• قدر is masculine, so كبير is masculine
• نار is feminine, so هادئة is feminine

تبدأ means she begins / starts.

It comes from the verb بدأ = to begin.

Again, it is feminine singular because the subject is still أمي (my mother).

So:

• تبدأ = she begins

The sentence has two actions with the same subject:

• تضع أمي الزيت...
• وتبدأ بطبخ اللحم...

That means:

• My mother puts the oil... and begins cooking the meat...

This is a very common Arabic pattern.

تبدأ بطبخ اللحم literally means:

• she begins with cooking the meat

But in natural English, we translate it as:

• she begins to cook the meat
• she starts cooking the meat

Here:

• بـ = with / in / by
• طبخ = cooking (a verbal noun, also called a masdar)

So بطبخ is with cooking / in cooking, and after بدأ, this gives the meaning to start doing something.

Arabic can also express this idea in other ways, but بدأ بـ + masdar is very common and natural.

In Modern Standard Arabic, after بدأ, the more natural structure is usually:

• بدأ بـ + masdar
• or بدأ + present verb in some contexts

So:

• تبدأ بطبخ اللحم = very natural
• تبدأ طبخ اللحم = also possible in some styles
• تبدأ أن تطبخ = less typical here

For learners, بدأ بـ + masdar is a very useful and common pattern to remember.

اللحم means the meat.

Just like الزيت, it uses the definite article الـ.

So:

• لحم = meat
• اللحم = the meat

In cooking instructions, Arabic often refers to ingredients as definite items because they are understood from the recipe.

Literally, it means:

• on a calm/low fire

Natural English:

• over low heat
• on low heat

Breakdown:

• على = on / over
• نار = fire
• هادئة = calm, quiet, gentle

In cooking, نار هادئة means a gentle flame or low heat.

So the full phrase means that the meat is cooked slowly, not over strong heat.

Because it describes نار, and نار is a feminine noun.

Arabic adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

So:

• نار هادئة = a low/gentle fire

Here:

• نار = feminine
• هادئة = feminine form of هادئ

This is the same agreement pattern seen throughout Arabic.

Yes. In normal modern writing, short vowels and case endings are usually omitted, but they are understood grammatically.

A fully vowelled version would be approximately:

ثُمَّ تَضَعُ أُمِّي الزَّيْتَ فِي قِدْرٍ كَبِيرٍ وَتَبْدَأُ بِطَبْخِ اللَّحْمِ عَلَى نَارٍ هَادِئَةٍ

These endings show grammatical roles, for example:

• الزيتَ = direct object
• قِدرٍ = after في, so genitive
• كبيرٍ = adjective matching قِدرٍ
• بطبخِ = after بـ, so genitive
• نارٍ هادئةٍ = after على, so genitive

In everyday reading, learners usually see the unvowelled form and understand the grammar from context.

Yes. The verbs تضع and تبدأ are in the present tense form.

In Arabic, the present tense is often used to describe:

• habitual actions
• narration
• instructions
• recipe steps

So even though English recipes often use commands like put or start cooking, Arabic can naturally use present-tense forms such as:

• تضع = she puts
• تبدأ = she begins

This can sound like a description of what happens in the recipe process.