ההארכה התחילה.

Because the word הארכה already begins with ה, and then Hebrew adds another ה for the definite article the.

• הארכה = extension / overtime
• ההארכה = the extension / the overtime

So the first ה is the, and the second ה is part of the noun itself.

A simple English-friendly pronunciation is:

ha-ha-a-ra-KHA hit-khi-LA

A few notes:

• ההארכה ≈ ha-ha'arakhá
• התחילה ≈ hitchilá
• The kh sound is like the ch in Scottish loch or German Bach
• The stress is on the last syllable of both words

It is past tense.

So התחילה means started / began in the feminine singular past form.

Because ההארכה is a feminine singular noun, and in Hebrew the verb agrees with the subject in gender and number.

So:

• ההארכה התחילה = feminine singular
• if the subject were masculine singular, you would use התחיל

For example:

• המשחק התחיל = the game started
• ההארכה התחילה = the overtime/extension started

One clue is the ending ־ה, which often marks feminine nouns in Hebrew.

So הארכה is feminine, and that is why the verb is התחילה and not התחיל.

This is a very common pattern, although not every noun ending in ־ה is feminine in every case.

Yes. By itself, התחילה can mean:

• she started
• it started, if it refers to a feminine noun

In this sentence, the subject is ההארכה, which is feminine, so the meaning is understood as the extension/overtime started.

The dictionary form is להתחיל, meaning to start / to begin.

In this sentence:

• להתחיל = infinitive, to start
• התחילה = past tense, she started / it started for a feminine subject

If you know verb patterns, this verb belongs to הפעיל.

Because Hebrew usually does not need a separate subject pronoun when the subject is already stated.

Here the subject is explicitly given:

• ההארכה = the subject
• התחילה = the verb

So Hebrew does not need an extra word for it. English often does, but Hebrew usually does not.

Not always. הארכה can mean different but related things depending on context, such as:

• extension
• prolongation
• overtime in sports

So ההארכה התחילה could be used in different situations. The exact meaning comes from context.

Yes, that is possible, but ההארכה התחילה is the more neutral and straightforward order in everyday Modern Hebrew.

• ההארכה התחילה = neutral, natural
• התחילה ההארכה = possible, but can sound more literary, dramatic, or context-driven

So for a learner, ההארכה התחילה is the safest word order to use.

Yes. In normal Modern Hebrew, people usually write without vowel marks, so ההארכה התחילה looks completely normal.

Learners may find it harder at first, but native speakers are used to reading it this way from context and word familiarity.