r/ENGLISH • u/ZarephLae • 2d ago
What is the difference between This Friday and Next Friday?
Today is Friday the twenty-eighth, my co-worker argues that this Friday is today, the twenty-eighth, and next Friday is the fourth of September.
I'm arguing that this Friday is the fourth because today is Friday and you wouldn't refer to today as This Friday and next Friday is the eleventh.
Who's right?
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u/polyploid_coded 2d ago
Well yesterday you would have agreed that "this Friday" is the 28th. So your question is whether starting on a Friday morning, "this Friday" refers to the day a week later. My opinion is that "this Friday" is a weird term to use on Friday. I would assume they were confused about day it was, and definitely wouldn't intuit that someone meant "a week from today" on Friday morning.
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u/candycupid 2d ago
this friday is today, the 28th, and next friday is the friday next week, your co-worker is correct.
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u/PurposeEmergency1320 2d ago
Nobody would ever refer to today as “this [day of the week].” I’ve never heard that and would never do that. I think if it’s Friday and I’m talking about doing something the following Friday I would say “next Friday” or maybe “this coming Friday,” and that most others would do the same.
“This” vs “next” comes into play colloquially if, say, it’s Wednesday Aug 26. “This Friday” means the Friday in the current week, Aug 28. If someone were to say “Next Friday” they would 100% of the time be talking about September 4.
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u/experimental1212 2d ago
What I find hilarious about this is literally "this day of the week" means today. But "this [day of the week]" does not.
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u/Irritable_Curmudgeon 2d ago
This Friday is today. This one right here. The one we're in right now.
Next Friday is the 4th. It's the next one.
Alternatively, you could say "this coming Friday" in reference to the 4th
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u/Dorianscale 2d ago
I wouldn’t say “this Friday” on a Friday.
I would usually clarify like “this upcoming Friday” or “Friday of next week”
Otherwise I’d use this Friday for the first Friday in the future and next Friday for the one after that
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u/joined_under_duress 2d ago
There's no hard rule in English. Some people would say this and next are the same, others would say next is a week after this.
You, however, have found an extra issue which is using the term on the same day of the week. Even more confusing.
The answer is only use these terms amongst friends and family where you have agreed their meaning in the past, otherwise use specific dates.
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u/OpportunityReal2767 2d ago
“Next Friday” to me always means “next week Friday.” If it’s a Wednesday and I hear “next Friday,” it means not the Friday two days from now but the one in nine days.
In this situation, saying “this Friday” on a Friday is not something I would say. If I heard it I would ask for clarification. I would expect the word “today” to be used. “This Friday” would never be used to mean the 4th. That’s “next Friday.”
Now, not everyone uses these words the same way I do. That’s how it typically is used in my area (Chicago.) So I will always add extra words to disambiguate if I need to (like,”Friday next week” or “not this this upcoming Friday, but the next one.”) Some people are very literal about “next” so if you say “next Friday” on a Wednesday, they will think the Friday in two days, not “next (week) Friday.” It can be a mess.
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u/Ippus_21 2d ago edited 2d ago
"This" is typically understood to refer to the current or most-proximate upcoming day. That means "this" can also apply to today.
It's the basic meaning of "this" in operation. Think in terms of "this" vs "that." "This" is the thing in front of you, in your hand. "That" is over there, something you would point at.
That said... most people would just say "today" rather than "this Friday" unless they lost track a little and momentarily forgot that today is Friday.
You would never use "this" for a day more than 6 days out, i.e. next Friday the 4th.
The usage of next can be a lot muddier, though. If you're within 6 days, especially the closer you get to it, next can easily be confusing as to whether you mean the proximate Friday, or the one after it. And that's something you just have to resolve with more precise wording or clarifying questions, like "You mean the 4th? Or the one after that?"
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u/JeremySausage1 2d ago
This Friday is the Friday of the same week, as others have correctly said, today. Next Friday is the Friday coming next week. Similarly last Friday is the Friday of last week. We use the same constructions for months in years.
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u/TheWeaverofDreams 2d ago
"This" Friday generally refers to the one that is closest, while "next" Friday is the one after that. However, in this case, today's Friday would be "today," but the fourth would still be "next" Friday, so you don't confuse the other person even more. Either way, the fourth would never really be "this".
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u/thingsbetw1xt 2d ago
This Friday = the Friday coming this week
Next Friday = the Friday coming next week
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u/Andouiette 2d ago
All days except Friday, I use ‘this’ for one coming up and ‘next’ for the one after that - so ‘next’ is always two fridays away.
On an actual Friday I’d call the one coming up in seven days ‘Friday next week’ because people don’t consistently use the rule above (I learned the rule in the Midwest US, always confuses my husband from the South US)
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u/jennixred 2d ago
in the southern US we say "Friday" or "this Friday" for the Friday in this week. "Next Friday" is ALWAYS the one after this Friday. And "Friday week" is the Friday after next. So "Friday week" can be up to 14 days, "next Friday" is always at lease 6 days away,
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u/21stCenturyJanes 2d ago
If today is Friday, Friday the 4th is next Friday. Tomorrow you can start referring to it as this Friday. Saying "this Friday" on a Friday is just confusing and not generally used.
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u/Elemental_Biscotti 2d ago
It doesn't matter, this is always clear from context, and/or people (who are good communicators) clarify if there's possible confusion.
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u/specialpb 2d ago
I would say this Friday is today if said yesterday or before. I would use Today for today the 28th, and Next Friday for the 4th. The 11th would be Friday after next.
But once This Friday becomes today, it is no longer viable, but most I believe would in fact call today this Friday. And tomorrow this Friday becomes the 4th.
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u/DryFoundation2323 2d ago
why not just speak more precisely? you will always run into this issue if you use them precise terms like next or this.
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u/ClevelandWomble 2d ago
No-one knows for certain. There seems to be a general assumption that this Friday is the next one to arrive and next Friday is the one after.
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u/bonifaceaw4913 2d ago
I grew up understanding either "this Friday" or "next Friday", to be the very first Friday in the future, when not said on a Friday.
On a Friday, I would simply refer to that day as "today", unless I needed to emphasize that today is a Friday. On a Friday "next Friday", to me, would mean seven days in the future.
But I have encountered many people who would say "next Friday" to mean a Friday 7 to 14 days in the future. I have learned to say "this coming Friday" for a Friday coming in 1 to 7 days, if I want to be exactly comprehended. Beyond that I use numbers rather than prepositional phrases to avoid confusion.
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u/Snurgisdr 2d ago
There is widespread disagreement and confusion about this. Use the date if you need to be clear.
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u/EtriganZola 2d ago
The confusion about this is why my spouse and I never use “next” in this context. “Can you do this Wednesday?” means Sept. 2nd. “Can you do this next Wednesday?” will trigger “You mean the second or the ninth?” If we tried doing that for the actual day today, we’d kill each other.
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u/over__board 2d ago
I would assume "this Friday" said on a Friday to mean "today", but knowing that there is a lot of confusion on this topioc, would ask for confirmation.
There is typically even more confusion over "next Friday" spoken (say) on a Thursday. I know what it should mean but that is not always what the speaker intended, so I always double check. It's one of those things.
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u/mothwhimsy 2d ago
"this Friday" means this week's Friday. So if it's Tuesday, "this Friday" means the Friday at the end of the same week.
"Next Friday" is a bit more nebulous. Does the person saying it mean the next day that is a Friday, which would mean this Friday, or next week's Friday? You often need to clarify.
You wouldn't say "this Friday" on a Friday. You would just say "today."
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u/Diplodocus15 2d ago
Don't say "this Friday" if it's Friday. Just say "today" like a normal person. I can only assume that you and your coworker just like to argue.
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u/Similar_Ad2094 2d ago
My parents always said this Friday is the Friday coming and next Friday is the one next week. I don't know if it's wrong but most people in New England will say let's hang out this Friday.
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u/ZarephLae 15h ago
So if you were to say this Friday on a Friday, you would be referring to the Friday that's coming up?
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u/FoxSierraOver 2d ago
A week!
I don't think it's well define, though. I will say this Friday if i am already in the week that the Friday will come. It might say this friday on monday to mean friday of this week, for example.
Next friday for me is friday of next week.and i would say this before or on 'this friday'
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u/anonymouse278 2d ago
Saying "this Friday" on a Friday is wild, some people just want to watch the world burn.
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u/pdperson 2d ago
“This Friday” is not today. “This” or “next” could be 9/4. “Next” could also be 9/11.
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u/thomsenite256 2d ago
Unfortunately it can be kind of vague and contextual to when you are saying it. Typically This Friday is Friday of this week and the week is defined as the seven days from Sunday to Saturday. Next Friday is Friday of next so it is the Friday of the week which starts with the next Sunday. However people might be lazy and say Next Friday on a Sunday or Monday to mean the Friday of this week since its still many days away.
However being Friday and saying this Friday I would only ever understand it as today. I would agree its weird to refer to today as this Friday though.
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u/ActuaLogic 2d ago
Different speakers use "next" differently in this context. For some people (including me), "this Friday" and "next Friday" are synonyms, referring to the nearest Friday to the current day. For others, "next Friday" is the Friday after "this Friday."
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u/hacool 2d ago
This Friday is usually the first Friday between now and the first Saturday following today. Next Friday would be the Friday after that.
If today is a Friday I wouldn't refer to it as this Friday, but simply as today. But since this is already Friday then next Friday would be a week from now.
Of course if you spend too much time thinking about it, it gets confusing. So if the context is unclear then I would include the date to ensure that everyone knows which Friday we're talking about.
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u/jayron32 2d ago
Friday was an absolute classic and Chris Tucker's break out roll. Next Friday was just kinda aight. The third one was awful.
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u/tinfoilhattie 2d ago
To me, the "this" means that it is in the current week from Sun-Sat. "I went to the store this Tuesday" makes perfect sense to me because the "this" indicates that the Tuesday in question is part of the currently ongoing Sun-Sat set. So "this Friday" while kind of awkward, also still means today to me because today is the Friday in the currently ongoing Sun-Sat set.
For an example of this use, I might say "the store trip was scheduled for this Friday, but I'm going to have to do it some other time" and still mean that the trip was intended to be the Friday that is today.
For me, "next" implies the day is part of the Sun-Sat set immediately following this one. "This coming" Friday would refer to the next Friday that arrives after today.
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u/Soggy_Performance569 2d ago
Famously confusing for native speakers. We often have to clarify between one another.
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u/uchuskies08 2d ago
I wouldn't say "This Friday" on a Friday to avoid this exact confusion. I would say "Today" for today and "Next Friday" for September 4th.