امشب

Persian

Alternative forms

• امشو (emšow) (colloquial)

Etymology

From امـ (em, “to-; this”) +‎ شب (šab, “night”), from Middle Persian 𐭫𐭣𐭭𐭤 (ldnh /⁠im⁠/, “this”) + [script needed] (šp /⁠šab⁠/, “night”). Compare Mazanderani ام شو (am šo, “tonight”), Central Kurdish ئەمشەو (emşew, “tonight”), Northern Kurdish îşev (“tonight”), Pashto نن شپه (nan ⁠špa, “tonight”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔim.ˈʃaβ]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪm.ʃǽb]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔɪm.ʃǽb]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔɪm.ʃǽw]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔim.ʃǽw], [ʔim.ʃéːw]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔem.ʃǽb̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔim.ʃǽb]

Readings
Classical reading?	imšaḇ
Dari reading?	imšab
Iranian reading?	emšab
Tajik reading?	imšab

Adverb

Dari	امشب
Iranian Persian
Tajik	имшаб

امشب • (emšab)

1. tonight
   • c. 1520, Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Benedek Péri, The Persian Dīvān of Yavuz Sulṭān Selīm, Budapest, Hungary: Research Centre for the Humanities, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, →ISBN, page 105:

     خواهد سحری رفت بسیر آن شه خوبان
     ای دیده مخواب آب زن امشب همه ره را

     xwāhad saharē raft ba-sayr ān šah-i xūbān
     ay dīda maxwāb āb zan imšab hama rah rā

     The king/queen of beauties will leave on a journey at dawn;
     O eyes, do not sleep! Pour water [tears] on all the roads tonight.

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

2. tonight; this evening

   علی قراره امشب برامون بخونه؟

   ali qarâr-e emšab barâmun bexune?

   Is Ali going to sing for us tonight?