This Thursday.............or next Thursday.

[Mike Cl]

Yes, this is a little thing.  But I'm curious what you people think.  My wife and I are divided on this issue. I say to my wife--let's go to the movies next Thursday.  She says 'Yeah, let's do it!"  Settled, right??  Nope.  I think I mean two days from now (I posed this on a Tues.); she thinks I mean a week from tomorrow.  She insists that two days hence is 'this' Thursday, and 'next' Thursday is a week from 'this' Thursday.  I say it is the next Thursday, since that is what the calendar shows.  For me 'this' Thursday and 'next' Thursday are the same day.   I am now usually mindful of this convention--but we get caught in it every now and again.  (Anymore I try to use a date and month, not 'this' or 'next')

Any of you fall into this trap?  Do you use 'this' and 'next'?

[SNP1]

Usually when someone says "this" it is talking about that week. This Thursday is this weeks Thursday. Next usually refers to next week. Next Thursday is next week's Thursday.

[Mike Cl]

Usually when someone says "this" it is talking about that week. This Thursday is this weeks Thursday. Next usually refers to next week. Next Thursday is next week's Thursday.

Ah!  See what you mean.  But if you look at a calendar, 'this' and 'next' are the same thing.  This Thur. is two days away--and since that is the next Thur. on the calendar, it is also the 'next'.  I guess I'm too anal retentive in this issue. :)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Make an arbitrary decisions, agree on it, and use it.

[aitm]

in the "old" english the corrected term was "thursday next" which would imply the next week. But yes, if you said next Thursday I would not consider this week unless it was the Saturday prior.

[Mike Cl]

Make an arbitrary decisions, agree on it, and use it.

Oh, I have.  Keep the wife happy--words to prosper by. :))

[Hydra009]

For me 'this' Thursday and 'next' Thursday are the same day.

Same.  To me, next means immediately after the present one.  (the next day = tomorrow, the next track = the one immediately after the one you're current on, the next thursday = the earliest thursday from the present day, etc)

[Atheon]

It depends on how many days away it is. Four or more days in the future, and "next Thursday" means "this coming Thursday". One or two days in the future, and "next Thursday" means "The Thursday after this coming Thursday". Three days away and it's highly ambiguous.

If it's Friday or Saturday, saying "next Thursday" should be unambiguous.

To avoid confusion, you can use phrases like "this Thursday", "this coming Thursday" or "Thursday next week". Or, just "Thursday": on Sunday or on Tuesday, you can say "I'm flying to Hawaii on Thursday", and it should not be ambiguous.

On Wednesday, say "tomorrow".

The Brits have a handy expression that doesn't exist in the US: "Thursday week" (meaning "a week from this coming Thursday").

[hrdlr110]

Here in Australia it's "Thursday" and "Thursday week".

[SGOS]

For me 'this' Thursday and 'next' Thursday are the same day.   

That's probably because next means next.  But what people say and what they mean are not always the same thing.  I've been confused often enough by this same fairly common, but hardly universal interpretation of what "next Thursday" means, but it hinges on discriminating between THIS Thursday and NEXT Thursday.  Now it's true that THIS Thursday is also the NEXT Thursday, but it's a quirk in usage that is specific to days of the week where the meaning is twisted. 

When we say next year, it means the next year, not two years from now.  When you say you are next in line to buy your tickets at the box office, it doesn't mean there are two more people ahead of you.  It means "you're next."  Why this should mean something different when applied to days of the week doesn't make sense, but it's fairly common, although not universal.  So you can't make any assumptions about what your wife means.

My biggest problem with my Ex was when Thursday night comes along, she tells me to get ready for our visit with the Thompsons.  I'd ask, "We are going to visit the Thompsons tonight?"  She would reply, "Yes, I told you that, but you never listen."  Well, maybe I wasn't listening, but after this happens five times, and you have absolutely no recall of her ever telling you about visiting the Thompsons or the Smiths, you start to understand there is a definite communication problem, and you might even get suspicious that the problem is at the other end.

People say a lot of things when they mean something else.  Sometimes they say nothing at all, and assume you understood what they mean.  Clarity, agreeing on definitions, and fairness are often neglected in communication, and it almost always causes problems.

[Mike Cl]

That's probably because next means next.  But what people say and what they mean are not always the same thing.  I've been confused often enough by this same fairly common, but hardly universal interpretation of what "next Thursday" means, but it hinges on discriminating between THIS Thursday and NEXT Thursday.  Now it's true that THIS Thursday is also the NEXT Thursday, but it's a quirk in usage that is specific to days of the week where the meaning is twisted. 

When we say next year, it means the next year, not two years from now.  When you say you are next in line to buy your tickets at the box office, it doesn't mean there are two more people ahead of you.  It means "you're next."  Why this should mean something different when applied to days of the week doesn't make sense, but it's fairly common, although not universal.  So you can't make any assumptions about what your wife means.

My biggest problem with my Ex was when Thursday night comes along, she tells me to get ready for our visit with the Thompsons.  I'd ask, "We are going to visit the Thompsons tonight?"  She would reply, "Yes, I told you that, but you never listen."  Well, maybe I wasn't listening, but after this happens five times, and you have absolutely no recall of her ever telling you about visiting the Thompsons or the Smiths, you start to understand there is a definite communication problem, and you might even get suspicious that the problem is at the other end.

People say a lot of things when they mean something else.  Sometimes they say nothing at all, and assume you understood what they mean.  Clarity, agreeing on definitions, and fairness are often neglected in communication, and it almost always causes problems.
[/quoSGOS, you read my mind!  But for me, I lucked out in that this is not an indicator of our communication, but simply a quirk.  So, I handle it by making sure I check on the date of whatever it is we are going to do 'next' Thursday.  And every now and then, the phrase 'you know what I mean' comes tumbling out in a conversation we are having.  I can usually duck it, but at times I have to confess that I don't .  That can be fun. 

"Agreeing on definitions" is a biggee for me.  Every serious conversation needs to have the key words defined so that both (or all) parties understand how the key words are being used.  Only then can any sort of agreement be reached.

[Green Bottle]

Here in Scotland we would say ''A week on Thursday.....

[SGOS]

Here in Scotland we would say ''A week on Thursday.....

That word order here in the US would feel a bit awkward for most people, but it's much more precise in it's meaning, and less open to misinterpretation.

[Green Bottle]

That word order here in the US would feel a bit awkward for most people, but it's much more precise in it's meaning, and less open to misinterpretation.

To us over here it it would be the simplest way, im not saying you'd never hear a Scot say '' thursday week'' but i never have..