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"tonight" in seven languages

Meaningtonight

Spanish

esta noche

/ˈesta ˈnotʃe/

other source · esta 'this' + noche (Latin NOCTEM 'night')

French

ce soir

/sə swaʁ/

inherited

Cette nuit is the night itself (or last night).

Italian

stasera

/staˈsera/

inherited

Short for questa sera; the night itself is stanotte.

Portuguese

hoje à noite

/ˈoʒi a ˈnojtʃi/

other source · hoje 'today' (Latin HODIĒ) + noite 'night' (Latin NOCTEM)

Romanian

diseară

/diˈse̯arə/

inherited

Fused from de seară 'of evening'; seară is SĒRA with Romanian ea.

Catalan

aquesta nit

/əˈkɛstə nit/

other source · aquesta 'this' + nit 'night' (Latin NOCTEM)

For the early evening Catalan says aquest vespre.

English

tonight

/təˈnaɪt/

native English · Old English tō niht

English → ItaliantonightstaseraNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: soirée (from French).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SĒRŌ‘late (in the day); spoken Latin SĒRA 'evening'’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

French and Italian say 'this evening': Latin SĒRŌ 'late' became the evening (soir, sera). Spanish says 'this night', and its tarde 'afternoon' is likewise TARDĒ 'late'.

English relatives: soirée (from French)

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In a sentence

  • es¿Qué haces esta noche?
  • frQu'est-ce que tu fais ce soir ?
  • itCosa fai stasera?
  • ptO que você vai fazer hoje à noite?
  • roCe faci diseară?
  • caQuè fas aquesta nit?
  • enWhat are you doing tonight?

More words from the same Latin

More in Time

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