This - Next - Following - Native English speakers please.

[kiwitt]

English is my second language and I have a little problem with grammar, you may be able to assist.

"This Thursday" is the first Thursday coming up.
I use "the following Thursday" to refer to the second Thursday coming up.
I always thought "Next Thursday" was the first thursday coming up.

Is "Next Thursday", the first or second Thursday coming up ?

[Templar Knight]

''Next thursday'' is the second one - if it was in the same week you would say ''this thursday''

[kiwitt]

So the "week" is silent, i.e. This "weeks" Thursday. Next "weeks" Thursday.

Also This "weeks" weekend, Next "weeks" weekend.

[Templar Knight]

yep, its silent - just ''this weekend'' and ''next weekend''

[kiwitt]

Thanks TK. I will try to remember this little rule.

Isn't the English language wonderful, it has silent letters as well as silent words.

[Templar Knight]

glad to help - silence is golden

[GoreBag]

If you were to say "next thursday" on, say, Saturday, it would be generally understood that you meant the coming Thursday. To clarify, I usually have to say something like "Not THIS Thursday, but the one after it".

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I generally take this to mean the next one coming up, even on Saturdays. And this week ends on a Saturday and begins on a Sunday. Not ending on a Sunday and beginning on a Monday like some think...

[GoreBag]

I generally take this to mean the next one coming up, even on Saturdays. And this week ends on a Saturday and begins on a Sunday. Not ending on a Sunday and beginning on a Monday like some think...

That depends on whether or not you're Jewish.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Huh? My Jewish friend uses the same calendar for day to day life, the lunar one is only for ceremonies. They wouldn't get far using a different calendar in this world, or at least the USA.

[Tachikaze]

It's not as easy as it would seem from this thread. Americans often differ on when they use "this" and when they use "next". As an ESL teacher and linguist, I have given it a lot of observation and thought. Here's how it seems to work (it's not pretty).

Sunday is easy. Starting from the next day it goes:
tomorrow
this Tuesday
this Wednesday
this Thursday
this Friday
this or next Saturday
next Sunday
next Monday

About the time you get to Wednesday, things aren't quite so clear. Here's how it seems to go.
Thursday is tomorrow
this Friday
this Saturday
this or next Sunday
next Monday
next Tuesday

There's a psychological barrier at Sunday or Monday, but only if that barrier is almost a week away. If that barrier is close, then the rule changes. See below.

From Friday:
Saturday is tomorrow
this Sunday
this Monday
this Tuesday
this or next Wednesday
next or this Thursday
next Friday

There is no strict rule.

[Es Arkajae]

I've used it for both if Thursday is a few days off for instance I may say "I've got something coming up next Thursday", or I may use 'this Thursday'.

It doesn't really matter, if theres chance you may be misunderstood or of it matters if you are just say 'Thursday after next' or 'Thursday week' or 'Thursday next week' etc.

English.. its a beautiful thing *sniff*

[English assassin]

if theres chance you may be misunderstood or of it matters if you are just say 'Thursday after next' or 'Thursday week' or 'Thursday next week' etc

That's good advice. This Thursday is always the very next thursday to happen, but next thursday could be ambiguous. "Thursday week" is a good idiomatic way to say the next thursday but one. (Well, its idiomatic in British English, I don't know about other sorts)

[Craterus]

Just go with instinct on "this" or "next". These guys have given good tips, but if you dont remember all the rules, just go with instinct. Worst comes to worst, you'll just have to give a date.

[Quid]

Kivitt, this is actually quite a perplexing question and not only to non-native speakers. English is also my second language but I have made it my mission to correct my students on it; even if it happens to be their mothertongue.

Now, common logic would dictate that 'next' means 'the following'. 'This', however, would dictate even earlier. So, following that logic, 'next' would mean the one after 'this' as Teutonic suggested. It is also true that Sunday does frequently constitute a mental barrier and therefore, you simply cannot be sure what the speaker means.

To conclude, ask if you're unsure. I always do. If they use 'this', the matter is usually clear; it they use 'next', it pays to ask.

Quid

[Laridus Konivaich]

Personally I most often say a week from (xy day), if there would be confusion. Here (US) you usually drop the this or next and the Thursday, simply saying, "Like, ya' know..."

seriously: I am always just saying 'on thursday' interchangably with 'this Thursday', or if it is two thursdays away, 'a week from thursday'.

It is helpful to reference the days that way, because you are always refereing to the next one, trouble is if the day to which you refer was yesterday (eg Monday and it is Tuesday), then people are unsure if you mean yesterday or in six days, so you would say 'next monday'.

'This' or no preposition generally apply to the current week, next to the following week.

[Al Khalifah]

In English conversations, whenever someone says "this thursday" or "next thursday" its pretty much always followed by "what? this thursday coming or the thursday after that" and then it normally goes on for a while from there till someone is sensible and comes up with a date.

[Laridus Konivaich]

In English conversations, whenever someone says "this thursday" or "next thursday" its pretty much always followed by "what? this thursday coming or the thursday after that" and then it normally goes on for a while from there till someone is sensible and comes up with a date.

lol, so true. Also accompanied by the pulling out of pocket calendars.

[Al Khalifah]

People also tend to look at their watches, even though their watches do not contain the information required on them. They actually do this even if they're not wearing a watch - just look at people.

[Ldvs]

In English conversations, whenever someone says "this thursday" or "next thursday" its pretty much always followed by "what? this thursday coming or the thursday after that" and then it normally goes on for a while from there till someone is sensible and comes up with a date.

Obviously it's not a problem specific to English. When you speak French it's exactly the same, although I've never actually noticed people are looking at their watches. I'll pay more careful attention next time

[Uesugi Kenshin]

My watch tells the date and from that I can figure out the date of a specific day of the week, such as next Thursday.