in the evening / tonight

[milan2003_07]

Hello everyone,

I would like to know the differences between "tonight" and "in the evening". As far as I understand, the word "tonight" means the same or almost the same as "in the evening" (saying this I can't figure out the difference right away). Evening can start at about 5 pm or 6 pm and last till midnight. Here are some of my sample sentences that I've made up:

1. We are going to the theatre in the evening with my girlfriend and there will be a very interesting play by Nickolay Ostrovskiy that has been staged for the first time.
We are going to the theatre tonight with my girlfriend and there will be a very interesting play by Nickolay Ostrovskiy that has been staged for the first time.

The performance at the theatre is scheduled to start at 7pm so it's the evening time.

2. I will be doing my homework in the evening and I hope I'll have finished it by 8pm and then watch a football game.
I will be doing my homework tonight and I hope I'll have finished it by 8pm and then watch a football game.

The intended meaning is that I'll start doing the homework at about 5 or 6 pm (which is the evening time) and the homework will have been finished by 8 pm.

 

[jutfrank]

First of all, you mean 'this evening', not 'in the evening'.

Yes, 'this evening' relates to a smaller window of time than 'tonight'. We don't generally refer to the time after midnight as 'evening'. Correspondingly, 'evening' is comparatively earlier than night, starting at the earliest from the time the sun goes down.

 

[Tarheel]

Say:

We are going to a play that is being staged/put on/presented for the first time.

 

[milan2003_07]

First of all, you mean 'this evening', not 'in the evening'.

Yes, 'this evening' relates to a smaller window of time than 'tonight'. We don't generally refer to the time after midnight as 'evening'. Correspondingly, 'evening' is comparatively earlier than night, starting at the earliest from the time the sun goes down.

Thanks for making it clear that 'evening' refers to a smaller window of time than the night. It follows from your post that the evening starts when the Sun goes down and ends before midnight.

For instance, in St. Petersburg it starts getting dark at about 5 pm now and thus the evening starts at 5 pm. In summer this time point changes as we have white nights in May, June and almost half of July. We tend to start evening activities at about 9pm or even much later.

Does the word 'tonight' encompass a period of time both before and after midnight?

 

[jutfrank]

It follows from your post that the evening starts when the Sun goes down and ends before midnight.

I meant that sunset is the earliest point at which it starts. In summer, when sunset is after 9.30, the evening has already long begun.

Does the word 'tonight' encompass a period of time both before and after midnight?

Yes.

 

[Tarheel]

@milan2003_07 You are overdoing it with "the" usage.