Just imagine that today is Monday 1st. You get an email inviting you to an event next Thursday. Do you think that this means the event is on the 4th or the 11th?
Next Thursday
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
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I would presume the 11th. If the person issuing the invitation intended it to be the Thursday of the same week, they would use the phrase "this Thursday," instead of "next Thursday."
This is a source of constant confusion in our house because I use PsychoPere's meaning, and mr trampledamage will say "next Thursday" to mean the 4th.
I would also use yours and PsychoPere's meaning but it seems that my own sister disagrees with it and uses mr trampledamage's meaning.
But the 4th IS the next Thursday.
Yeah, but "next Thursday" is basically shorthand for "Thursday, next week." It may not make perfect sense, but it's a pretty standard convention.
I've got no idea, though I'm leaning towards the 11th. I'd email back just to make sure.
Yeah, I always put the date in - just to be on the safe side. "Next Thursday (11th)"
I always ask/clarify when receiving that sort of invite, because it really is sloppily ambiguous.
Personally, I would prefer it to mean the 4th, because that seems more logical to me, but a lot of people do mean the 11th. Their logic is that since the 4th is "this Thursday" therefore the 11th must be "next Thursday". This is really shaky as "next Thursday" should be the next Thursday to arrive, which also happens to be "this Thursday".
The 11th should really be "a week on Thursday" or "Thursday week".
When sending invites, I specify a date. Saves everyone a lot of trouble.
Personally, I would prefer it to mean the 4th, because that seems more logical to me, but a lot of people do mean the 11th. Their logic is that since the 4th is "this Thursday" therefore the 11th must be "next Thursday". This is really shaky as "next Thursday" should be the next Thursday to arrive, which also happens to be "this Thursday".
The 11th should really be "a week on Thursday" or "Thursday week".
When sending invites, I specify a date. Saves everyone a lot of trouble.
Like some others said, it should be the 11th, because the 4th is this Thursday. But I wouldn't count on it.
For me, 4th would be next Thursday. The 11th is Thursday Week.
It could be either, but my first reaction is the 4th (because it is the next Thursday). I always make it clear by saying "Thursday" and "a week from Thursday" that way everyone knows. Next Thursday is ambiguous (as evidenced by the fact that I'm in the minority here. Or I could just be completely wrong).
Although, the movies go Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next, so they agree with you.
Although, the movies go Friday, Next Friday, Friday After Next, so they agree with you.
I would presume it to be the 11th. And I’d clarify and/or berate the speaker for vagueness.
“This Thursday” would likely be the 4th. At least “this coming Thursday” seems less vague, at least to me. “Next Thursday” does not make me think of “the next Thursday coming up” but the one after this one coming up.
“This Thursday” would likely be the 4th. At least “this coming Thursday” seems less vague, at least to me. “Next Thursday” does not make me think of “the next Thursday coming up” but the one after this one coming up.
In your neck of the woods, maybe.
If today were Monday the 1st and I wanted to say something about Thursday the 4th, I would simply say “I'll see you Thursday.” It's automatically implied that I mean the closest Thursday. If I meant the 11th, I'd say “a week from Thursday.” Some Britishers use the idiom “Thursday week” to mean the same thing.
Yeah, as would most people, but that's not what we're talking about.
It would be automatically implied to mean that because in that phrase you didn't use a qualifier of any kind (i.e., "this" vs "next"). That is logical and would be the same thing I would mean, but that doesn't answer the question of this thread, predicated on the use of "next Thursday."
I guess it's ambiguous, but I would take "this Thursday" and "next Thursday" to mean the same thing. It's interesting how many people consider "next Thursday" to jump past the current week, considering it all of a unit; makes a certain kind of sense, but it never would have occurred to me. The 11th, to me, would be "a week from [this/next] Thursday."
Must be one of those goofy regional things, because to me "next Thursday" is obviously "a week from Thursday."
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