eligible / selectable
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eligible
Meeting the legal requirements to be elected to a political office or function.
Um als Bundespräsident wählbar zu sein, muss man die deutsche Staatsangehörigkeit besitzen und mindestens 40 Jahre alt sein.
To be eligible for election as Federal President, you must have German citizenship and be at least 40 years old.
selectable
Available as one of several options to choose from.
Im Menü sind drei verschiedene Desserts wählbar.
Three different desserts are selectable on the menu.
The adjective is derived from the verb 'wählen' (to choose/elect). The ending '-bar' expresses possibility, similar to '-able' in English. So 'wählbar' literally means 'able to be elected/chosen' or 'selectable'.
Alle Optionen auf dieser Liste sind wählbar.
All options on this list are selectable.
You can recognize the meaning from the context. If it is about people and political offices (e.g., president, mayor), 'wählbar' means legal eligibility. If it is about things or options (e.g., menu, color, plan), it means 'available for selection'.
Jeder deutsche Staatsbürger über 18 ist für den Bundestag wählbar.
Every German citizen over 18 is eligible for election to the Bundestag.
When referring to political offices, 'wählbar' is often used with 'sein' (to be) and a preposition. Typical constructions are 'wählbar sein für' + accusative or 'wählbar sein als' + nominative.
Sie ist für das Amt der Bürgermeisterin wählbar.
She is eligible for the office of mayor.
In the meaning 'available for selection', 'wählbar' is often combined with nouns such as 'Option' (option), 'Funktion' (function), 'Tarif' (plan/rate), 'Kurs' (course), or 'Menü' (menu).
In unserem Telefonsystem sind verschiedene Ansagen wählbar.
Various announcements are selectable in our phone system.
