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Let's imagine it's currently Wednesday the 1st. Does "next Saturday" mean Saturday the 4th (the next Saturday to occur) or Saturday the 11th (the Saturday of next week)?

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[–] [email protected] 81 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The 11th. "This" is the upcoming. "Next" is the one after that.

Source: being a human being and scheduling stuff with people for many decades

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

edit: To be clear, I agree that is how it should work for Saturday. For sunday, I'd prefer to use "next" over "this" when referring to the future

Small change

Say it is Wednesday and you want to refer to the immediate upcoming Sunday. Which sounds better:

  • "Next Sunday I will do X" (edited)
  • "This Sunday I will do X" (edited)

To me, "next" feels more appropriate, while "this" feels like it should be past tense, referring to the most recent Sunday that just passed.

This could also be affected by location, and whether Sunday or Monday is the start of the week.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like the tense of the rest of the sentence determines which day you're referring to when you use "this."

"I went to the movies this Saturday." Would be the Saturday that just happened

Vs

"I'm going to the movies this Saturday" would be this coming Saturday

You could of course further disambiguate it by using "this past Saturday" and "this coming Saturday" if you really wanted to, but I think in most contexts the rest of the sentence does it well enough.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Oh yes, I guess I should add more words to the examples

  • "Next Saturday I will go to the movies"
  • "This Saturday I will go to the movies"

"this" feels more appropriate

  • "Next Sunday I will go to the movies"
  • "This Sunday I will go to the movies"

"next" feels more appropriate

Even with the "coming" to clarify, it feels more natural to associate "this" with items that are in this week (Sunday to Saturday) and "next" with items that start on the following week's Sunday

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I guess part of the disagreement here is about what a week is. Sunday to Saturday vs Monday to Sunday

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

If you ask someone to meet you somewhere "next Saturday", you'll be stood up by 99.99999% of the population if you're expecting this Saturday.

The standard usage is unanimous. Whatever you think "makes sense", the entire population has already agreed on the standard. Anyone who "understood" you picked up what you meant from other context. Because you used it incorrectly.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

The start of the week has nothing to do with it. "This week" is 7 days from today. Any days within "this week" are "this $day".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Just say on Sunday if you don't like the term This.

Next always means there is one present to which one must come after. "Who is next in line?" Would be correct to use in all situations except when asking who is first in line.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Who is next in line?" Would be correct to use in all situations except when asking who is first on line.

This is not true. "Next in line for the throne" for instance refers to the first person in line for the throne, unless you for some reason count the person currently on the throne as also in line. When a cashier tells "Next!" they expect to serve the first person in line, not the person after them. You'd think someone was crazy if they said "I'm next" when there's people before them.

The only scenario I can think of off the top of my head where "next" is not the first person in line is when you add qualifiers to slice the line and refer to the first person after that slice, eg "after Alice, Bob is next in line."

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
  • This Saturday = the 4th
  • Next Saturday = the 11th
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But this Saturday is the 2nd

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Using the calendar dates in the question.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Saturday the 4th is part of "this week" so it's "this Saturday".

Saturday the 11th is part of "next week" so it's "next Saturday".

Otherwise "next Saturday" and "Saturday next week" would mean different things.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago

"This Saturday" is the first Saturday occurring in the next 7 days. ""Next Saturday" is the one after "This Saturday".

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I would call the 4th "this Saturday", and the 11th "next Saturday". But it's ambiguous enough to ask for clarification.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

I'd interpret "next Saturday" as the one on the 11th, and "this Saturday" as the one on the 4th.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago

Approximately 5 days before the day in question, "next" becomes "this".

That's the answer.

Excellent question that has always bothered me too.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (6 children)

It goes like this

"Next Saturday"

"You mean this Saturday? Or next Saturday?"

"Next Saturday"

"Okay"

Because English is not an efficient tool for communication.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Absolutely this. Because it is never clear which is meant without being qualified, you have to do this every time unless you specify. I would just say Saturday the 4th to save the exchange.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

This Saturday is the Saturday that is occurring in that week, i.e. the 4th, and next Saturday would be the 11th.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The way I interpret it is that "next Sunday" is the same as saying "next week's Sunday." Meanwhile, "this sunday" refers to "this week's Sunday." So if it's Friday and I want to meet 5 days from now, I would call it next Wednesday. But if it's Monday and I want to meet 5 days from now, I call it this Saturday

But also, anyone with even a bit of courtesy would give a full date, along with the day of the week, if they're the to schedule something

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've found that the meaning depends on regional differences in both English and Norwegian, and as a result I never use "next Sunday". I say "Sunday in a week and a half" or the date instead.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think a lot of people are over thinking this. I don't think anyone would say next Saturday meaning this Saturday at all. You'd just say Saturday.

Like, "I'm going to see dune 2 Saturday." There is no need to clarify which Saturday it's going to be if you don't muddy it by trying to qualify it needlessly.

So next Saturday should always be the Saturday after this upcoming one.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

'This' is the first Saturday, 'next' is the second Saturday, from whatever day that you are in.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

I would immediately ask. As others have mentioned, "this Saturday" would mean the 4th in your example, but next is too ambiguous; the 4th is the next Saturday on the calendar.

This same thing can happen outside of English as well.

You can also look up "half five". Depending upon your culture, it means 5:30 (half PAST five) or 4:30 (halfway UNTIL five in the hour before).

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

coming Saturday = Saturday 4th

next Saturday = Saturday 11th

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

you meet in 3 days.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just stop being ambiguous. Give a specific date, because based on the number of answers here "next Saturday" could mean anything from last week to 6 years from now (yes, I'm being dramatic for effect).

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Next could mean either technically haha

Generally where I am next or this Saturday would be the 4th and "a week Saturday" would be the 11th.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

The "Next Saturday" is just the next Saturday, the closest Saturday right? Or does it work differently in English?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You are describing "This Saturday". Next Saturday is the one after that It's just like "this week" indicates something within the next 7 days and "next week" occurs 1 day after the end of "this week". So if its Wednesday, "this week" goes through Tuesday and the following Wednesday starts "Next Week".

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Saturday is Saturday. Next Saturday is not. Otherwise why add the modifier?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'd clarify with them but probably the 4th. As a kid I was raised that "this X" is the next one and "next X" is the one after that. But as an adult I can't say I've ever talked to someone who actually used it that way. Instead "this X" and "next X" mean the same thing (the next one after today)

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