This Friday or Next Friday?

[Tsukuru]

Here's a little morsel of the common subtlety of the English language. Either I've been terribly mislead, or there actually is a difference between saying "this Friday" and "next Friday". In the latter case I am not crazy, and everyone else whom I talk to about it is. So would you please tell me what you think about this difference between the two?

As I learned it, "this Friday" means this coming Friday. "Next Friday" means the Friday after this one. Or perhaps it's true that I am simply imagining things, and it is completely necessary to waste the few extra syllables to say "the Friday after next".

[Gerudo]

o_O

i always say "this friday" and "next friday", meaning exactly what is intended...

[Blonde799]

Yeah, this Friday being today(or the upcoming closest Friday), and next meaning the Friday of next week. And...the Friday after next being the Friday of the week after the next week, or something.

Man, two movie references.:p

[ShadowTiger]

Such confusion is possible, Tsukuru. (And welcome back to AGN for a bit.)

Here's where we can play around with the language a bit. To say "this" Friday, can be taken a number of ways. For one, to say "This" implies that you are holding it in your hand (Or something similar) with which to refer to it so easily and generally. Since it is not in your hand, or tangible at all, one must assume that the closest thing to being a "this," is to have it be Friday at that very moment. So you could say that by saying "This" Friday, you're saying, "Today."

Of course, that's seemingly ridiculous, as why would anyone refer to "Today" as ""This Friday?" So therefore, one can say that by saying "This Friday" he cannot mean today. It must imply the next closest friday, with the last Friday being out of the question since it cannot occur again, and cannot be changed in any way, save by word of mouth.

However, can "Next" Friday and "This" Friday therefore become interchangeable? Why would one have to use the two terms, which mean virtually the same thing, in two different ways? Why should "Next" Friday imply the Friday after "This" Friday? Such a thing is nearly beyond logical thought. (And yet here we are. :sweat: )



I suppose it doesn't really matter though. :p If everybody thinks it's a matter of such little importance, they can all deal with the consequences of potentially being ignorant to each other's Next/This schedules.

[Pablo]

this friday = the friday occuring this week

next friday = the friday occuring next week

problem solved, I hope...

[Glitch]

Heh...I thought this was gonna be about the Friday movie series...

[Lutraphobiac]

I was under that impression as well. Oh, well. That would have prompted more discussion than a topic that can be answered in one post...

[Master Ghaleon]

This friday and next friday means the same for me.

[Archibaldo]

The only problem with saying "this friday" when it is friday, is it could mean that it's either today or the next friday coming up. Some times by accident I say "this friday" even though it is friday.
Another thing that gets confusing alot is when it's friday, and you say that, for example, next friday is when you're going to see that movie. It could either mean, the friday coming up, or the friday after that first friday. So to solve this problem I just usually use numbered dates such as the 7th, 14th, etc. It's just easier, then you don't get confused.