What it means
اداره (edâre) is a government office or bureau, the physical place where administrative work happens. It is borrowed from Arabic إدارة (idâra), the masdar (verbal noun) of the root أدار (adâra), meaning to manage or to administer. In everyday Iranian Farsi edâre refers specifically to a state office, not a private company. A close synonym is سازمان (sâzmân), meaning organization or agency, but that word is broader and often refers to the institution rather than the building or counter where you stand in line.
How to use it
- فردا باید برم اداره تا کارم رو درست کنم. (Fardâ bâyad beram edâre tâ kâram ro dorost konam.) “Tomorrow I have to go to the office to sort out my paperwork.”
- اداره ساعت یک میبنده. (Edâre sâ’at yek mibande.) “The office closes at one o’clock.”
- توی اداره بدون وقت قبلی نمیشه کاری کرد. (Tu-ye edâre bedun-e vaqt-e qabli nemishe kâri kard.) “At the office you can’t get anything done without a prior appointment.”
- این اداره مربوط به ثبت احوال هست. (In edâre marbut be sabt-e ahvâl hast.) “This office is the civil registry.”
Cultural note
Government offices in Iran are typically open only in the morning, often from eight until one or two in the afternoon, and are closed on Thursdays in some institutions. Iranians often joke that visiting an edâre requires three trips: one to find out what documents you need, one to bring the wrong documents, and one to finally get the stamp. The phrase رفتن به اداره (raftan be edâre, going to the office) carries a cultural weight of resigned patience rather than efficiency.