العَمَل وَالمُرَاسَلَاتWork and Correspondence
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe job responsibilities, workplace roles, and colleagues using connected MSA.
- Write and read a formal email with an appropriate opening, body, and closing.
- Use relative clauses in longer, more independent descriptions of people, tasks, and responsibilities.
- Recognize an introductory nominal style, in which a verbal noun rather than a conjugated verb serves as the subject of a formal sentence.
- Continue using Form II, Form V, and Form X derived verbs, recycled from Chapter 11, in a workplace context.
- Write a short formal email describing a work responsibility and requesting information or assistance.
Communication Scenario
Chapter 12 moves from personal learning to the workplace. Learners often need to describe what they do at work, ask a colleague or supervisor for information, and put a request in writing. Arabic formal email follows recognizable conventions of address, structure, and closing, and correspondence of this kind is a normal part of institutional and professional life. This chapter also introduces a more formal, nominal way of opening a sentence — beginning with a verbal noun rather than a verb — which becomes increasingly common in written and institutional Arabic from this point forward.
- You will learn vocabulary for jobs, responsibilities, and workplace communication.
- You will expand relative clauses to describe colleagues, tasks, and responsibilities in longer sentences.
- You will learn the structure of a formal email in MSA.
- You will recognize an introductory nominal sentence style built on the verbal noun.
What This Chapter Builds On
Chapter 12 continues Unit III by building directly on the derived-verb system introduced in Chapter 11. It expands relative clauses into longer, more independent descriptions and introduces two closely related new systems — formal email conventions and an introductory nominal sentence style — in the context of workplace communication.
Relative clauses are expanded here into longer, more connected description; this is not a new grammar system but a broader application of the relative-clause system developed since Chapter 1. Case-ending recognition continues at the same supported level established in Chapters 8 and 9.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports talking about jobs, responsibilities, and workplace correspondence.
| Arabic | Meaning | Gender / Plural |
|---|---|---|
| مَسْؤُولِيَّة | responsibility | f. — plural مَسْؤُولِيَّات |
| زَمِيل / زَمِيلَة | colleague | m./f. — plural زُمَلَاء / زَمِيلَات |
| مُدِير / مُدِيرَة | manager, director | m./f. — plural مُدِيرُون / مُدِيرَات |
| قِسْم | department | m. — plural أَقْسَام |
| اِجْتِمَاع | meeting | m. — plural اِجْتِمَاعَات |
| مَشْرُوع | project | m. — plural مَشَارِيع |
| مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ | deadline | m. — plural مَوَاعِيد نِهَائِيَّة |
| رَسَالَة (إِلِكْتُرُونِيَّة) | (e-mail) message | f. — plural رَسَائِل |
| Arabic | Meaning | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
| السَّيِّد / السَّيِّدَة المُحْتَرَم(َة) | Dear Sir / Madam | formal email opening |
| تَحِيَّة طَيِّبَة وَبَعْد، | Greetings, and to proceed, | formal opening formula |
| أَكْتُب إِلَيْكُم بِخُصُوص... | I am writing to you regarding... | states the email's purpose |
| أَرْجُو التَّكَرُّم بِـ... | I kindly request that you... | polite formal request |
| وَتَفَضَّلُوا بِقَبُول فَائِق الاِحْتِرَام | Please accept my highest regards | formal closing |
The formal opening and closing formulas are formulaic expressions: learn and use them as fixed units before analyzing every internal grammatical detail.
Relative Clauses Expanded
You have used relative clauses with الَّذِي / الَّتِي since earlier chapters to describe people and things. This section expands that system into longer, more connected descriptions typical of workplace communication, rather than introducing a new rule.
A relative clause can now carry more of the sentence's information, especially when describing a colleague's role, a project's status, or a task's requirements. The resumptive pronoun inside the clause continues to agree with the noun it describes, exactly as in earlier chapters.
- الزَّمِيلَة الَّتِي تُدِير المَشْرُوع الجَدِيد تَعْمَل فِي قِسْمِنَا مُنْذُ سَنَتَيْن.The colleague who is managing the new project has worked in our department for two years.definite relative clause + resumptive verb
- المَشْرُوع الَّذِي نُطَوِّرُهُ لَهُ مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ فِي نِهَايَة الشَّهْر.The project that we are developing has a deadline at the end of the month.Form II verb inside relative clause
- هَذِهِ هِيَ المَسْؤُولِيَّات الَّتِي أَتَحَمَّلُهَا فِي هَذَا القِسْم.These are the responsibilities that I carry in this department.plural relative clause with resumptive object pronoun
Focus on connecting a relative clause smoothly to the sentence around it, so that a description of a colleague, project, or responsibility reads as one connected idea rather than two short sentences joined together.
An Introduction to Nominal Style
Formal written Arabic often opens a sentence with a verbal noun rather than a conjugated verb. You already know the verbal nouns of Form II, Form V, and Form X verbs from Chapter 11; this section introduces how they can begin a formal sentence.
تَطْوِير المَشْرُوع يَحْتَاج إِلَى وَقْت وَتَعَاوُن.
Developing the project requires time and cooperation.
In everyday spoken MSA, a learner might say اليَوْم نُطَوِّر المَشْرُوع ("Today we are developing the project"), starting with a conjugated verb or a time word. In more formal written registers, the same idea is often expressed by placing the verbal noun تَطْوِير at the start of the sentence, where it functions as the grammatical subject. This is a hallmark of institutional, academic, and professional writing.
- التَّعَاوُن بَيْن الأَقْسَام ضَرُورِيّ لِنَجَاح المَشْرُوع.Cooperation among departments is necessary for the project's success.verbal noun as subject, nominal sentence
- اِسْتِخْدَام البَرِيد الإِلِكْتُرُونِيّ الرَّسْمِيّ مُهِمّ فِي التَّوَاصُل مَعَ الإِدَارَة.Using formal email is important in communicating with the administration.verbal noun as subject, recycled from Ch. 11
At this stage, focus on recognizing this pattern in reading and email models and on producing it with the verbal nouns you already control; a fuller system of nominal style is developed further in Volume III.
Formal Email Conventions
A formal MSA email typically opens with a title and name or a formulaic greeting such as السَّيِّد / السَّيِّدَة المُحْتَرَم(َة), followed by a transitional opening formula such as تَحِيَّة طَيِّبَة وَبَعْد،. The body states the purpose clearly, often with أَكْتُب إِلَيْكُم بِخُصُوص... ("I am writing to you regarding..."). Requests are softened with أَرْجُو التَّكَرُّم بِـ... ("I kindly request that you..."). The email closes with a formal expression of respect such as وَتَفَضَّلُوا بِقَبُول فَائِق الاِحْتِرَام, followed by the sender's name.
- أَكْتُب إِلَيْكُم بِخُصُوص المَوْعِد النِّهَائِيّ لِلمَشْرُوع.I am writing to you regarding the project deadline.purpose statement
- أَرْجُو التَّكَرُّم بِإِرْسَال التَّفَاصِيل قَبْل يَوْم الخَمِيس.I kindly request that you send the details before Thursday.polite formal request
Model Email
السَّيِّد خَالِد المُحْتَرَم،
تَحِيَّة طَيِّبَة وَبَعْد،
أَكْتُب إِلَيْكُم بِخُصُوص المَشْرُوع الَّذِي نُطَوِّرُهُ حَالِيًّا فِي قِسْم التَّسْوِيق. تَقَدُّم العَمَل جَيِّد حَتَّى الآن، لَكِنِّي أَحْتَاج إِلَى بَعْض المَعْلُومَات الإِضَافِيَّة كَي أُتِمّ المَهَمَّة فِي الوَقْت المُحَدَّد. هَل يُمْكِنُكُم إِرْسَال التَّقْرِير الَّذِي أَعَدَّهُ القِسْم الفَنِّيّ الشَّهْر المَاضِي؟
أَرْجُو التَّكَرُّم بِالرَّدّ قَبْل يَوْم الخَمِيس، لِأَنَّ المَوْعِد النِّهَائِيّ لِلمَشْرُوع يَقْتَرِب.
وَتَفَضَّلُوا بِقَبُول فَائِق الاِحْتِرَام،
سَارَة أَحْمَد
Dear Mr. Khalid, Greetings. I am writing to you regarding the project that we are currently developing in the marketing department. Progress is good so far, but I need some additional information in order to finish the task on time. Could you send the report that the technical department prepared last month? I kindly request a reply before Thursday, because the project deadline is approaching. Please accept my highest regards, Sarah Ahmad.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What is Sarah writing to Khalid about, and what does she request?
- Identify one relative clause in the email and the noun it describes.
- Identify one purpose clause, recycled from Chapter 8, in the email.
Listening Station
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short workplace announcement aloud twice at a moderate pace. Listen without reading along the first time, then answer the questions below.
سَتَعْقِد الإِدَارَة اِجْتِمَاعًا يَوْم الأَرْبِعَاء لِمُنَاقَشَة المَشَارِيع الَّتِي تَنْتَهِي هَذَا الشَّهْر. المُدِيرَة الَّتِي تُشْرِف عَلَى القِسْم طَلَبَت مِن كُلّ زَمِيل تَحْضِير تَقْرِير قَصِير عَن مَسْؤُولِيَّاتِهِ. يُرْجَى مِن المُوَظَّفِين إِرْسَال تَقَارِيرِهِم عَبْر البَرِيد الإِلِكْتُرُونِيّ قَبْل يَوْم الاِجْتِمَاع.
مُهِمَّة الاسْتِمَاع — Listening task
Answer the following questions based on what you hear:
- What is the meeting about, and when is it?
- What did the manager ask each colleague to prepare?
- How should employees send their reports, and by when?
Speaking Station
تَدْرِيب مُوَجَّه — Controlled practice: Describing a colleague
With a partner, take turns describing a colleague or manager using a relative clause, such as الزَّمِيل الَّذِي / الزَّمِيلَة الَّتِي, followed by their responsibility.
مُهِمَّة تَوَاصُل — Communicative task: Planning a project update
In pairs, discuss a shared (real or invented) project, using at least one Form II or Form X verb from Chapter 11 and one relative clause describing the project or a task.
لِلْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ المُسْتَقِلِّينَ — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing your own job or a job you would like to have, including at least one responsibility, one colleague or manager described with a relative clause, and one sentence using a verbal noun as the subject.
Reading Station
Read the short account below, then answer the questions that follow. As in earlier chapters, some predictable short vowels on familiar words are left unmarked.
A Workplace Note — Sample Text
أعمل فى قسم التسويق منذ سنة تقريبا. مسؤوليتى الأساسية هى التواصل مع الزملاء فى الأقسام الأخرى لتطوير حملات جديدة. المدير الذى يشرف على قسمنا يطلب منا تقريرا أسبوعيا عن تقدم المشاريع. فى الأسبوع الماضى كتبت رسالة إلكترونية رسمية إلى قسم التصميم لأننى احتجت إلى معلومات إضافية قبل الموعد النهائى. الرد الذى وصلنى كان سريعا ومفيدا، وهذا سهل استمرارنا فى العمل على المشروع.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What is the writer's main responsibility?
- Why did the writer send a formal email to the design department?
- Identify one relative clause and one verbal-noun-initial sentence in the passage.
Writing Station
In this station, you will draft a short formal email of six to eight sentences describing a work responsibility and requesting information or assistance.
- Open formally. Begin with السَّيِّد / السَّيِّدَة المُحْتَرَم(َة) and تَحِيَّة طَيِّبَة وَبَعْد،.
- State your purpose. One sentence using أَكْتُب إِلَيْكُم بِخُصُوص... to introduce the topic.
- Describe the situation. One or two sentences describing a project, task, or colleague, using at least one relative clause.
- Make your request. One sentence using أَرْجُو التَّكَرُّم بِـ... to ask for information or help.
- Add a formal observation. One sentence beginning with a verbal noun as the subject (for example, تَطْوِير... or اِسْتِخْدَام...).
- Close formally. End with وَتَفَضَّلُوا بِقَبُول فَائِق الاِحْتِرَام and your name, then check your draft against the editing checklist below.
قَائِمَة المُرَاجَعَة — Editing checklist:
- I used the formal opening and closing formulas correctly.
- I used at least one relative clause to describe a person, project, or task.
- I used at least one sentence with a verbal noun as the subject.
- I used at least one Form II, Form V, or Form X verb, recycled from Chapter 11.
- I did not attempt to add case endings on my own beyond the fixed accusative expressions.
- My email reads as one connected, polite message rather than a list of unrelated sentences.
Culture and Communication
Formal written correspondence across many Arabic-speaking workplaces and institutions tends to favor clear titles, respectful address, and set opening and closing formulas, even between colleagues who speak informally in person. Learning these written conventions is separate from, and complements, the spoken register used in daily workplace conversation.
السَّيِّد and السَّيِّدَة are widely understood formal titles in MSA correspondence, but some institutions and countries also use أُسْتَاذ / أُسْتَاذَة as a respectful professional title regardless of whether the person is a teacher. Learners should expect to see both conventions in authentic correspondence.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: أَهْلًا خَالِد، كَيْف الحَال؟ (an informal spoken greeting used to open a formal email)
Correction: السَّيِّد خَالِد المُحْتَرَم، تَحِيَّة طَيِّبَة وَبَعْد، — formal email correspondence requires the formulaic title and opening, even when the sender and recipient know each other well.
Error: المَشْرُوع الَّذِي نُطَوِّر لَهُ مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ. (missing the object pronoun referring back to المَشْرُوع)
Correction: المَشْرُوع الَّذِي نُطَوِّرُهُ لَهُ مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ. — a definite relative clause in Arabic normally requires a resumptive pronoun referring back to the noun it describes.
Error: نَسْتَخْدِم البَرِيد الإِلِكْتُرُونِيّ الرَّسْمِيّ مُهِمّ. (mixing a conjugated verb with an adjective meant to describe a noun subject)
Correction: اِسْتِخْدَام البَرِيد الإِلِكْتُرُونِيّ الرَّسْمِيّ مُهِمّ. — the introductory nominal style requires the verbal noun, not a conjugated verb, in subject position.
Chapter Review
Section A — الجُمْلَة الوَصْفِيَّة (Relative Clauses)
1. Combine the following two ideas using الَّتِي and a resumptive pronoun: هَذِهِ هِيَ المُدِيرَة. / تُشْرِف المُدِيرَة عَلَى قِسْمِنَا.
Section B — الأُسْلُوب الاِسْمِيّ (Nominal Style)
1. Rewrite the following sentence beginning with a verbal noun: نَسْتَخْدِم البَرِيد الإِلِكْتُرُونِيّ يَوْمِيًّا.
Section C — البَرِيد الرَّسْمِيّ (Formal Email)
1. Give the formal opening formula and the formal closing formula used in the model email.
مُرَاجَعَة تَرَاكُمِيَّة — Cumulative review
Complete the short exchange below, drawing on this chapter and on Chapters 8 and 11.
أ: مَا مَسْؤُولِيَّتُكَ الأَسَاسِيَّة فِي العَمَل؟
ب: ______________________________________ (describe a responsibility, using a relative clause)
أ: وَلِمَاذَا تَكْتُب رَسَائِل رَسْمِيَّة أَحْيَانًا؟
ب: ______________________________________ (use a purpose clause with لِـ، كَي، or حَتَّى, recycled from Chapter 8)
Practical Performance Task
مُهِمَّة الأَدَاء العَمَلِيَّة
رِسَالَتِي الرَّسْمِيَّة — My Formal Email
Complete both parts below.
- Written: Write a formal email of six to eight sentences describing a work responsibility or project and requesting information or assistance, including the formal opening and closing formulas, at least one relative clause, and at least one verbal-noun-initial sentence.
- Spoken: Present the same situation orally as if explaining it to a colleague, including a brief description of your main responsibility.
Assessment focus: correct use of formal email conventions; accurate relative clauses with resumptive pronouns; accurate use of the verbal noun as sentence subject; accurate recycling of Form II, Form V, and Form X verbs and purpose clauses; and correct use of the fixed accusative expressions with continued recognition of other case endings.
Answer Key
Model Email — Comprehension
- Sarah is writing about a project the marketing department is developing and requests the report the technical department prepared last month, before the deadline.
- المَشْرُوع الَّذِي نُطَوِّرُهُ ("the project that we are developing") — describes المَشْرُوع, with the resumptive pronoun ـهُ referring back to it.
- أَرْجُو التَّكَرُّم بِالرَّدّ قَبْل يَوْم الخَمِيس، لِأَنَّ المَوْعِد النِّهَائِيّ لِلمَشْرُوع يَقْتَرِب. — the reason clause with لِأَنَّ functions similarly to the purpose clauses recycled from Chapter 8.
Listening Station
- The meeting is to discuss projects ending this month; it takes place on Wednesday.
- The manager asked each colleague to prepare a short report on their responsibilities.
- Employees should send their reports by email before the day of the meeting.
Reading Station — Comprehension
- The writer's main responsibility is communicating with colleagues in other departments to develop new campaigns.
- The writer needed additional information before the deadline.
- Relative clause: المدير الذى يشرف على قسمنا; verbal-noun-initial sentence: الرد الذى وصلنى كان سريعا (functions similarly, opening with a definite noun subject before the predicate).
Chapter Review — Model responses
Section A: هَذِهِ هِيَ المُدِيرَة الَّتِي تُشْرِف عَلَى قِسْمِنَا.
Section B: اِسْتِخْدَام البَرِيد الإِلِكْتُرُونِيّ يَوْمِيّ.
Section C: Opening: تَحِيَّة طَيِّبَة وَبَعْد، Closing: وَتَفَضَّلُوا بِقَبُول فَائِق الاِحْتِرَام.
Other well-formed, accurate answers combining the required systems are equally acceptable throughout this section.
Cumulative Review — Model responses for Speaker B
ب: مَسْؤُولِيَّتِي الأَسَاسِيَّة هِيَ التَّوَاصُل مَعَ الزُّمَلَاء الَّذِين يَعْمَلُون فِي الأَقْسَام الأُخْرَى.
ب: أَكْتُب رَسَائِل رَسْمِيَّة كَي أَحْصُل عَلَى مَعْلُومَات دَقِيقَة مِن الإِدَارَة.
Exact wording will vary. Check that a relative clause, a correctly formed purpose or reason clause, and a plausible responsibility are all present and accurately formed.
Looking Ahead
مَا الَّذِي تَسْتَطِيعُ فِعْلَهُ الآن — What you can do now
You can now describe workplace responsibilities and colleagues using expanded relative clauses, write and understand a formal email with correct conventions, and recognize an introductory nominal style built on the verbal noun. These tools prepare you to read and discuss simplified news and public information in the next chapter.