Learn Farsi: در این کشور، رای‌دهنده‌ها تصمیم‌گیرنده‌های واقعی هستند. - In this country, the voters are the true decision makers.

It is built using the present stem of a verb! رای means "vote", and ده is the present stem of دادن (to give). By adding the suffix ـنده (-ande), we make it an agent noun (someone who does the action), giving us رای‌دهنده (voter). Finally, ـها makes it plural.

Does تصمیم‌گیرنده‌های (decision-makers) follow the exact same rule?

Yes! It comes from the compound verb تصمیم گرفتن (to decide). تصمیم means "decision", and گیر is the present stem of گرفتن (to take). Adding ـنده (-ande) gives us تصمیم‌گیرنده (decision-maker), and ـها makes it plural.

Why is there an extra ی at the end of تصمیم‌گیرنده‌های?

That is the ezāfe connecting the noun "decision-makers" to the adjective "true" (واقعی). Because the plural suffix ـها ends in the vowel 'a', the ezāfe needs a consonant to bridge the gap. We use ی (-ye) instead of the standard invisible short 'e' sound.

Can I use the plural suffix ـان (-an) for these agent nouns instead of ـها (-ha)?

Yes, you can! Since these are words for people, it is perfectly correct to use ـان (-an). You will often see رای‌دهندگان and in formal contexts. Notice that the silent 'e' at the end of the suffix changes to a 'g' () before adding .