إما

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See also: أما, اما, and آما

Arabic

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Univerbation of إِن (ʔin, “if”) +‎ مَا (mā, relative).

Conjunction

إِمَّا • (ʔimmā)

  1. used for disjunction, both posited as equal alternatives, either … or, be it that, whether, may it be that, etc.
    كُلُّ شَيْءٍ إِمَّا مَوْجُودٌ وَإِمَّا مَعْدُومٌ.
    kullu šayʔin ʔimmā mawjūdun waʔimmā maʕdūmun.
    Every object is either existent or inexistent.
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 20:65:
      قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى إِمَّا أَن تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَن نَّكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى
      qālū yā mūsā ʔimmā ʔan tulqiya waʔimmā ʔan nnakūna ʔawwala man ʔalqā
      They said: O Moses! Either throw first, or let us be the first to throw?
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 76:3:
      إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
      ʔinnā hadaynāhu s-sabīla ʔimmā šākiran wa-ʔimmā kafūran
      Lo! We have guided him by the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.
Related terms

Etymology 2

إِن (ʔin, “if”) +‎ ـمَا (-mā, “soever”).

Conjunction

إِمَّا • (ʔimmā)

  1. if ever
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 19:26:
      فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي
      fa-ʔimmā tarayinna mina l-bašari ʔaḥadan fa-qūlī
      If thou meetest any mortal, say:

References

  • Tropper, Josef (2003) “Sekundäres wortanlautendes Alif im Arabischen”, in Kogan, Leonid, editor, Studia Semitica (Orientalia: Papers of the Oriental Institute; III), Moscow, →ISBN, page 202

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic إِمَّا (ʔimmā).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʔim.ma/,
  • Audio (Ramallah)(file)

Conjunction

إمّا • (ʔimma)

  1. either (used together with أو (ʔaw, “or”))
    إما بتدفع أجار البيت أو بترحل.
    ʔimma btidfaʕ ʔajār il-bēt ʔaw btirḥal
    Either you pay the rent or you get out.
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