What it means
انتخابات (entekhâbât) means “elections.” The word is Arabic in origin, from the root ن-خ-ب (n-kh-b), meaning to choose or select. The base form انتخاب (entekhâb) means “choice” or “selection,” and انتخابات is its Arabic plural form ending in -ât, used in Persian to refer to elections as a recurring event or institution. The singular انتخاب is used in everyday speech for any act of choosing: انتخاب کردن (entekhâb kardan) means “to choose” or “to elect.”
How to use it
- انتخابات امسال کِیه؟ (entekhâbât-e emsal kie?) “When are the elections this year?”
- در انتخابات شرکت کردی؟ (dar entekhâbât sherkat kardi?) “Did you take part in the elections?”
- نتیجه انتخابات اعلام شد. (natije-ye entekhâbât elâm shod.) “The election results were announced.”
- کاندیداهای انتخابات معرفی شدند. (kândidâhâ-ye entekhâbât moarefi shodand.) “The election candidates were introduced.”
Cultural note
Elections in Iran include presidential, parliamentary, and Assembly of Experts votes, all referred to as entekhâbât. Voter turnout figures and the vetting of candidates by the Guardian Council are frequently discussed topics in Iranian public life and international reporting. The word انتخابات is also used across Afghanistan (in Dari) and Tajikistan, making it a shared civic vocabulary across the Persian-speaking world.