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Navigating bureaucracy is easier when you know the right terminology for official paperwork. In this lesson, we will cover vocabulary for processing applications, authenticating documents, and dealing with registries.

### Requirements and Superlatives

In Arabic, you can express "one of the [superlative]" by using the preposition من followed by a superlative adjective (like أهم for "most important") and a definite plural noun.

Let's look at this structure using the word for "requirement" (متطلب).

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### Doing It Yourself

When managing paperwork, you often have to complete steps yourself. To express "myself," "yourself," or "herself," Arabic uses the word نفس (self) paired with an attached pronoun. 

When describing an action done *by* oneself, add the preposition بـ to the beginning (for example, بنفسي for "by myself" or بنفسك for "by yourself"). Let's see this used with the verb for "to fulfill" (استوفى).

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### Departments and Authentication

A government agency, authority, or department is called a مصلحة. When submitting documents to a department, they often require official "authentication" (توثيق).

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Similarly, you will often be asked to provide "proof" (إثبات), such as proof of identity. This is especially true at the civil registry, which is called مصلحة الأحوال المدنية (literally, the department of civil "conditions" or "statuses").

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### Ratification and Attachments

Once your file is submitted, it needs to be processed. The verb "to ratify" or "to approve" is صادق على. This is usually done by the "competent" or designated (مختص) official in charge of your case.

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Your file might require supporting documents, such as an "attachment" (مرفق) or an official "affidavit" (إفادة).

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Navigating Bureaucracy

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
requirement	متطلبmutatallab
This is one of the most important requirements.	هذا من أهم المتطلبات.hâdhâ min ahammi al-mutaṭallabât
to fulfill (conditions, requirements)	استوفىistawfâ
I fulfilled the requirement myself.	استوفيت المتطلب بنفسي.istawfaytu al-mutatallaba binafsi
You must fulfill the conditions yourself.	يجب أن تستوفي الشروط بنفسك.yajibu an tastawfiya ash-shurûta binafsika.
authentication	توثيقtawthîq
Authentication is one of the slowest procedures.	التوثيق من أبطأ الإجراءات.at-tawthîqu min abta'i l-ijrâ'ât
department (government agency)	مصلحةmaslaha
This document needs authentication from the department.	هذه الوثيقة تحتاج إلى توثيق من المصلحة.hâdhihi al-wathîqatu tahtâju ilâ tawthîqin mina al-maslahati
proof	إثباتithbât
Providing proof is one of the most important requirements.	تقديم الإثبات من أهم المتطلبات.taqdîmu al-ithbâti min ahammi al-mutaṭallabât.
The proof of identity is here.	إثبات الهوية هنا.ithbâtu al-huwiyyati hunâ
conditions	أحوالahwâl
The civil registry department is here.	مصلحة الأحوال المدنية هنا.maslahatu al-ahwâli al-madaniyyati hunâ
Updating the file is one of the most important procedures.	تحديث الملف من أهم الإجراءات.tahdîthu al-malaffi min ahammi al-ijrâ'âti
My sister went to the tax department herself.	ذهبت أختي إلى مصلحة الضرائب بنفسها.dhahabat ukhtî ilâ maslahati ddarâ'ibi binafsihâ
to ratify	صادق علىsâdaqa 'alâ
competent	مختصmukhtass
The competent minister ratified the file.	صادق الوزير المختص على الملف.sâdaqa al-wazîru al-mukhtassu alâ al-malaffi.
The director himself ratified the decision.	صادق المدير نفسه على القرار.sâdaqa al-mudîru nafsuhu ala al-qarâri
Is the competent employee here?	هل الموظف المختص هنا؟hal al-muwaẓẓafu al-mukhtaṣṣu hunâ?
attachment (email, document)	مرفقmurfaq
This attachment is one of the most important documents.	هذا المرفق من أهم الوثائق.hâdhâ al-murfaqu min ahammi al-wathâ'iqi
The employee herself sent the attachment.	أرسلت الموظفة نفسها المرفق.arsalati al-muwazzafatu nafsuha al-murfaqa
affidavit	إفادةifâda
The official affidavit is in this file.	الإفادة الرسمية في هذا الملف.al-ifâdatu r-rasmiyyatu fî hâdha l-malaffi.
Did you read the official affidavit?	هل قرأت الإفادة الرسمية؟hal qara'ta al-ifâdata ar-rasmiyyata?
The employee received an identity card from the civil registry.	استلمت الموظفة بطاقة هوية من مصلحة الأحوال المدنية.istalamati al-muwadhdhafatu bitaaqata huwiyyatin min maslahati al-ahwaali al-madaniyyati