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When you makes plans for "Next Saturday," what does it mean?  Do you mean the next Saturday on the calendar or the Saturday after that?  

If you talk about "This Saturday," what does it mean?  Yesterday?  Today?  Tomorrow?  Next Saturday?

Most people say that "Next Saturday" means the Saturday after the next Saturday on the calendar...  Meaning, two Saturdays away...  For those people the meaning of "Next Saturday" and "This Saturday" depends on the day of the week and in some cases they mean the same thing...

On Sunday, does "This Saturday" mean yesterday or "Next Saturday?"  What about Monday?  What do you call the next Saturday on the calendar, "Next" or "This?"  Does "This next Saturday" have a different meaning that "This Saturday" and "Next Saturday?"

This is something that gets me into trouble with certain people...  I look at the calendar to find the next Saturday on the list...  And THAT is "Next Saturday."  But, when I say that I'll see them "Next Saturday," they say, "You mean THIS Saturday."   :roll:

I've been told that the "This" convention is the way to go and that "Next" actually means the Saturday after Next...

But, why?  When you say "This Morning" it means the morning in the past.  And the "Next Morning" would be the very next one...  Not the one after that.

What would the Beatles have done?  "Take the NEXT train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station..."  They'd never meet up, 'cause "Next" actually means the one after next...  Should they have said, "Take THIS train to Clarksville?"

What about next month?  Is "Next Month" January or February?  If the elevator is full do you get on THIS elevator or the NEXT elevator?

I say that "Next" means NEXT not "after next."  What about you?  "This" or "Next?"

When I say "this saturday", I mean the next one that will be coming up. "Last saturday" is the one that most recently passed. "The saturday after next" would be..well, the saturday AFTER the next saturday.

Sounds simple, but a lot of people I know struggle with this. I dunno why?  :dunno:

So, you don't say Next Saturday?

Eh, not usually. If I do say "next saturday" it means the same as "this saturday". But I almost always say "this saturday" because the saturday belongs to "this week".  :dunno:

Quote from: PhaedrusIf I do say "next saturday" it means the same as "this saturday".

YAY!!!

:thumb:

I just don't get the "Next is after Next" people...

I just say "On Saturday" IF the person doesn't realize it's the saturday coming up, they're a moron and I don't need to talk to them.

Another good one:

Do you CALL IN sick or CALL OUT sick?

this saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.

and i've never heard "call out" sick :dunno:

Quote from: JetSwingthis saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.

So what month is next month?  Feb?

What about if you're waiting for the bus...  Are you waiting for this bus rather than the next bus?

Quote from: JetSwingand i've never heard "call out" sick :dunno:

Around here, most of the "city people" call it "calling out sick". While others call it "calling in sick".

"This Saturday" is the next Saturday that will occur (the one that is fewer than 7 days away.)

"This past Saturday" is the last one that happened.  Also "Last Saturday", unless used on Sunday, then "Yesterday" is the appropriate term.

"Next Saturday" is somewhat confusing, and partially dependent on the day of the week.  On Sunday, "Next Saturday" means this upcoming Saturday (a.k.a. "This Saturday", which is confusing on Sunday anyway).  

On Monday or Tuesday, "Next Saturday" could go either way.  In these cases, using the somewhat unwieldy, "Not This Saturday But Next Saturday" is appropriate.  Also, "The Weekend After Next" generally results in less confusion.

Wednesday through Friday, "Next Saturday" definitely means the next one that is not "This Saturday".  Since "This Weekend" obviously contains "This Saturday".  "Next Weekend" must be the one after that, which would subsequently contain "Next Saturday".

Clear now?  :P

But, the "this" weekend thing doesn't really work either...

When does "this weekend" change from being in the past to being in the future...  Wednesday?  

"I went out of town this weekend." or "I'm going out of town this weekend."

I guess my problem is with "this."  Why not just leave it at last and next? :dunno:

Quote from: RVertigo

Quote from: JetSwingthis saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.

So what month is next month?  Feb?

Since there is no word for "the current month" that works like "today" does for days, months work differently (of course).  This month is used to represent the month that currently contains you.  Next month is (quite obviously) the one after that.

Quote from: RVertigo

Quote from: JetSwingthis saturday is upcoming saturday. next satureday is one after that.

So what month is next month?  Feb?

What about if you're waiting for the bus...  Are you waiting for this bus rather than the next bus?

thanks for putting my words out of context! so here's my explanation.

when you say "this friday", you really mean "friday of this week". and when you say "next friday", you really mean "friday of next week".

you gotta see things in a timeline. anything that has passed is refered to as "last". eg. last monday was 12/5. today this thursday which is "this" thursday but we never refer today as "this". we just say today. so the "next" thursday would be 12/15.

so let's look at the month. let's go back to the timeline again. what month are we in? deccember. so "this" month is december. "next" month would be january.

sorry. i don't know anything about buses.

Quote from: RVertigoWhy not just leave it at last and next? :dunno:

Four Weeks Of The Month (just an example)

Week 1 - LAST week
Week 2 - THIS week (current)
Week 3 - NEXT week
Week 4 - the week AFTER NEXT

:P

one thing i always wondered was why there aren't any words for "day after tomorrow" or "day before yesterday"  :dunno:

in some languages, there are single words to describe thoses...

Quote from: BadgerThis month is used to represent the month that currently contains you.  Next month is (quite obviously) the one after that.

As with everything else in the world outside of days of the week (for some people).

You don't say that the "next plane" is the one after the one coming up...  It makes no sense.

Nearest in space or position; adjacent: the next room.
Immediately following, as in time, order, or sequence: next week; the next item on the list.[/list:u] Meaning...  On Thursday, Next Saturday is two days away, not nine...  'cause it's next on the list.

I've had people call me crazy for actually arguing about this...  But, I think it's crazy to say that "next" doesn't actually mean "next" in certain contexts.........

I posted it 'cause someone was talking about it again.  Next == Next!

Quote from: JetSwinganything that has passed is refered to as "last". eg.

What about "This Morning?"

What about when you get back from the weekend and someone asks you, "Did you do anything fun this weekend?"  They don't say last weekend, even though it's in the past.  :dunno:

It really only drives me crazy when I say "Next Weekend" Monday-Thursday and people have no clue what I mean...

rvertigo. i have the final answer so relax!

and you'renot crazy...next means next!

read this again.

Quotewhen you say "this friday", you really mean "friday of this week". and when you say "next friday", you really mean "friday of next week".

if it's outside of this week, then it becomes "next". eg. like "next" monday (12/12). at this point "this" moday des not exist. there's "past" moday (12/5) and "next" monday (12/12).

Quote from: RVertigoBut, the "this" weekend thing doesn't really work either...

When does "this weekend" change from being in the past to being in the future...  Wednesday?

This Saturday cannot be in the past.  If you are in the current weekend and you are referring to the Saturday in the current weekend, then it either has to be "today" or "yesterday".

Let me try to make this as confusing as possible:  :)

Here is the progression when you are tracking to a Saturday:

* Next Saturday: Saturday 6 days away or more away
* This Saturday: Saturday less than 6 days away.
* Tomorrow: Saturday is 1 day away
* Today: Saturday is happenning right now
* Yesterday: It is Sunday, and your Saturday just happened
* Last Saturday: Your Saturday is between 2 and 8 days old (you can use "last Saturday" on a Sunday and not mean "yesterday".  This only applies to Saturdays, since they are part of this weekend.  

Weekdays have different rules, and can be more confusing when talking about "this" one.  "This Monday" could either be the one that occurred this week, or it could mean "this upcoming Monday"

Of course, all this is just  :bs:

Quote from: RVertigo"I went out of town this weekend." or "I'm going out of town this weekend."

And that's why we have different tenses in English.  Both of those sentences clearly specify which weekend "this one" is.

I'm only being moderately sarcastic.  I used to be a linguist, and you'd be surprised at how difficult and confusing it can be to work in a language that has no concept of tense...like Chinese.

In Chinese, you can't say "I went" vs. "I will go" vs. "I am going" vs. "I am gone".  No tense.  Instead, you say things like, "Today I go" or "Yesterday I go" or "Tomorrow I go".  There's a lot more guesswork involved.  Compare this to a language like French, where there are like a billion tenses to communicate nuance around timing and completeness.

Because there is no tense In Chinese, is is moderately important to specify the time as context...therefore, there are words for "the day before yesterday" and "the day after tomorrow".  It's made more confusing because the word for "yesterday" is literally "the day behind this one".  Thus, "the day before yesterday" loosely translates to: "the day before the day behind today"...actually, I guess more literally it would be "before behind day."  It's disturbingly disorienting.  :?  

Just to make things more confusing...They also have a word for "ten thousand"...and subsequently put commas between groups of four digits rather than three.  One million is 100,0000...or "one hundred ten thousands".  Not related to tense, but illustrates some of the things that make you look like this:  :?

Quote from: RVertigo

Quote from: BadgerThis month is used to represent the month that currently contains you.  Next month is (quite obviously) the one after that.

As with everything else in the world outside of days of the week (for some people).

You don't say that the "next plane" is the one after the one coming up...  It makes no sense.

Nearest in space or position; adjacent: the next room.
Immediately following, as in time, order, or sequence: next week; the next item on the list.[/list:u] Meaning...  On Thursday, Next Saturday is two days away, not nine...  'cause it's next on the list.

I've had people call me crazy for actually arguing about this...  But, I think it's crazy to say that "next" doesn't actually mean "next" in certain contexts.........

I posted it 'cause someone was talking about it again.  Next == Next!

You say that like it's supposed to make sense.  Sheesh.  

It's language...not math.

badger, your post was too long to read so forgive me if i'm repeating. :oops:

i wrote a book called Using "THIS" and "NEXT" for Dummies. it's a very short book.

====================
* Chapter Last
====================

To correctly use the terms "this" and "next", follow the easy 3 steps in order. if anytime a criteria has met, stop, do not proceed to the next step. This ingenious method applys to anything and everything.

Step 1: Has it passed you by? Is it in the past?

If yes, the answer is: LAST/PAST
IF no, proceed to Step2.

Step 2: Are you in it? Is it within this week?

If yes, the answer is: THIS/TODAY
If no, proceed to Step3.

Step 3: Is it in the future?

If yes, the answer is: NEXT
If no, you're screwed.

Quote from: RVertigo
What would the Beatles have done?  "Take the NEXT train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station..."  They'd never meet up, 'cause "Next" actually means the one after next...  Should they have said, "Take THIS train to Clarksville?"

Most likely, the Beatles wouldn't have covered a song popularized by the Monkees.  :P   Credibility being what it is.

THIS Saturday means the one that is forthcoming. NEXT Saturday means the upcoming Saturday. LAST Saturday means the previous Saturday.

Depending on context, "this" and "next" can mean the same thing. In terms of weekend stuff, they do. If it's a week after the upcoming Saturday, then it's the week after this/next Saturday. That's grammar for ya.

Quote from: AlphaFire X5That's grammar for ya.

Actually, it's colloquialism.  Grammar has very little to do with it.

Oh cram it, you.

:P

:lol:  :lol:

This is always closer than that, as in, that over there vs. this right here.

A couple is two.
A few is three.
Some is four or more.
Several is seven or more.

Quote from: scratchSeveral is seven or more.

Nooooo....several is the same as a few....three or more! :P

Quote from: pandy

Quote from: scratchSeveral is seven or more.

Nooooo....several is the same as a few....three or more! :P

+1

and i always thought that a "couple" was 2, like when you say a couple of days...but it's actually same as "few" and "several"

so...

couple = few = several

it doesn't make sense to me  :dunno:

BAH!!!

If "This" refers to the current week, then you have to determine when people's weeks start and end...

Is Sunday the first day or the last?  Or does "this" and "Next" mean the same thing since it can't be in the past, unlike when refering to mornings when it's always in the past and weekends when it's sometimes in the past.

And as for the couple, few, several thing...  Again...  Damnit...   :x
I say that couple == 2, few == 3-4 (and sometimes more depending on the generally expected number, 25 is few when the expected is 1,000  :roll: ) and several is between a few and a lot...  Also depending on the expected number...

:roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:

So...  I'm going snowboarding with a "few" people "This Next Saturday," also known as "the day after today."  :nana:

Quote from: Phaedrus

Quote from: RVertigoWhy not just leave it at last and next? :dunno:

Four Weeks Of The Month (just an example)

Week 1 - LAST week
Week 2 - THIS week (current)
Week 3 - NEXT week
Week 4 - the week AFTER NEXT

:P

I agree with what you've written here.  So look; today is Friday.  This weekend starts in like 5 hours.  This Saturday is tomorrow.  Next Saturday is 8 days form now.  Last saturday was 6 days ago.  

It is the weekend!  It's a celebration!!!!!

What about "This Next Saturday"  :nana:

It's really about earlier in the week...  Like when I say "Next Saturday" on Monday or Tuesday...  IMO Saturday isn't close enough to call it "Saturday" or "This Saturday."

I think I'm going to start saying, "Saturday of this week" and "Saturday of next week."  Then everyone will know what I mean...  Including me.

:thumb: to rvertigo for making our lives more complicated!  :nana:

Quote from: JetSwing:thumb: to rvertigo for making our lives more complicated!  :nana:

Hey...  I was trying to make them easier by getting rid of "this" as a time indicator and just leaving it at Last and Next...

There is nothing wrong with "this".  Okay, look at this following conversation.  Picture me and you at a tailgate before a Chiefs' game.  I have a cooler full of beer and one in my hand.

Rvertigo: I need a beer.

Jake D: You want one of mine?

Rvertigo: Yeah, if you don't mind.

Jake D: (extending beer to Rvertigo) You want this one?

Rvertigo: I would rather have the next one.  One from the cooler.

Jake D: Certainly.

Now notice, when I said "this" beer, I clearly meant the one that was in proximity.  The one that was immediate.  The one in my hand.  When you said "next one", you clearly meant the one in the cooler.

Same with Saturdays.  This Saturday is the one in proximity.  Next Saturday is the one after that.  

Duh.

But, next Saturday is the next one...  And this Saturday is this one...

On Monday, the next Saturday is the next one on the calendar....  Meaning, the up coming one...

But, "this weekend" depends on what day of the week it is.

I guess my Saturdays fall in line with the weekends...  On Monday, this weekend is the weekend that just passed and next weekend is the upcoming weekend.

I just find it annoying that "This" and "Next" don't always mean the same thing.

If you are waiting for a cab/plane/bus, you are waiting for the next cab to come by...  If you said, "I'm waiting for THIS cab/plane/bus" when no cab/plane/bus was in sight, people would ask "What cab?"  But, if you said "I'm waiting for the next cab/plane/bus" people would know that meant the very next one to show up...  Not the one after that.

Quote from: Badger"This Saturday" is the next Saturday that will occur (the one that is fewer than 7 days away.)

"This past Saturday" is the last one that happened.  Also "Last Saturday", unless used on Sunday, then "Yesterday" is the appropriate term.

"Next Saturday" is somewhat confusing, and partially dependent on the day of the week.  On Sunday, "Next Saturday" means this upcoming Saturday (a.k.a. "This Saturday", which is confusing on Sunday anyway).  

On Monday or Tuesday, "Next Saturday" could go either way.  In these cases, using the somewhat unwieldy, "Not This Saturday But Next Saturday" is appropriate.  Also, "The Weekend After Next" generally results in less confusion.

Wednesday through Friday, "Next Saturday" definitely means the next one that is not "This Saturday".  Since "This Weekend" obviously contains "This Saturday".  "Next Weekend" must be the one after that, which would subsequently contain "Next Saturday".

Clear now?  :P

Without reading all the posts I say it like Badger has above.  I will also use "this coming" instead of "Next"

Quote from: cobalt135

Quote from: BadgerClear now?  :P

Without reading all the posts I say it like Badger has above.  I will also use "this coming" instead of "Next"

:?   It didn't even make sense to me when I wrote it.  :lol: