The language of government
Political news reuses words you know from everyday life. The letters stay the same; the meaning, and often the vowels, are new.
| you know | the new word |
|---|---|
| صَوْت voice | صَوَّتَ to vote |
| صَالِح valid | لِصَالِحِ in favor of |
| مِثْل like | مَثَّلَ to represent; to act |
| مُمَثِّل actor | مُمَثِّل representative |
| عَيْن eye | عَيَّنَ to appoint |
| مَشْرُوع project | مَشْرُوع legitimate |
| صَدَّرَ to export | صَدَرَ to be issued |
One word is new: مُقَاطَعَة province. The same word, with the same vowels, also means boycott, which you will meet later.
Doubled letters you hear but don't see
صَوَّتَ, مَثَّلَ and عَيَّنَ double their middle letter. Look at what surrounds the word:
| She raised her voice and voted against the decision. | رفعت صوتها وصوتت ضد القرار. |
صوتها has ها attached and is the object of رفعت: her voice. صوتت has the feminine past ending: she voted.
| The decision was issued yesterday. | صدر القرار أمس. |
صَدَرَ with a single د is to be issued: the thing issued is its subject. صَدَّرَ, doubled, is to export and takes an object.
One spelling, two jobs
مُمَثِّل is the one who represents, on a stage or in parliament:
| The famous actor became a representative of the people in parliament. | أصبح الممثل المشهور ممثلا للشعب في البرلمان. |
مشروع is a noun (project) or an adjective (legitimate). The adjective follows its noun:
| This project is not legitimate. | هذا المشروع غير مشروع. |
For and against
لصالح is ل + صالح, for the good of: a vote or a ruling goes in someone's favor. ضد is its opposite.
| Parliament voted in favor of the new law. | صوت البرلمان لصالح القانون الجديد. |
| The court's decision came in favor of the citizens. | جاء قرار المحكمة لصالح المواطنين. |
