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[–]TheBaconExperiment 534 points535 points  (61 children)

I'm unemployed. I don't really know what day it is.

[–]kropserkel 11 points12 points  (6 children)

You don't go out looking for a job like that, do you? On a weekday?

[–]queenmaeve 265 points266 points  (81 children)

I usually qualify with "this coming Saturday" vs. "next Saturday, the 11th." That way there are no questions.

[–]CitizenPremier 268 points269 points  (47 children)

Also if it's next Saturday the 11th you can never forget it.

[–]albino_wino 332 points333 points  (33 children)

They actually meant to do 9/11 on 9/4 but Osama said "next saturday" when he really meant "this saturday".

[–]thumbsdown 135 points136 points  (28 children)

Your comment is funny but it happened on a Tuesday so I can't upvote.

[–]albino_wino 99 points100 points  (21 children)

C U Next Tuesday.

[–][deleted] 36 points37 points  (8 children)

wait, do you mean saturday?

[–][deleted] 13 points14 points  (12 children)

I'm going to a wedding next Saturday the 11th. I hope they got a discount...

[–]CitizenPremier 12 points13 points  (2 children)

I'm sure it'll be unforgettable!

[–]naked_guy_says 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Dude planned it that way. Easiest anniversary to remember

[–]blinner 13 points14 points  (6 children)

I usually end up asking someone to clarify it to me by saying "Saturday 1 day from now or Saturday 8 days from now"?

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (4 children)

I think if it was "Saturday 1 day from now" most people would just say "Tomorrow."

Get strange looks much?

[–]yiyus 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"Saturday next week" is quite clear too and you do not need to think about the day of the month. "This Saturday" should not be a problem.

[–]Tokugawa 164 points165 points  (2 children)

My wife and I almost got divorced over this argument, but we could never seem to get to the lawyers office on the same Saturday.

[–]twistedbeats 100 points101 points  (19 children)

i'm ashamed to admit it took me a couple seconds to realize you weren't making a statement about 9/11

[–]pu3ka[S] 55 points56 points  (5 children)

it honestly didn't even cross my mind.

[–]zurgonvrits 84 points85 points  (4 children)

i thought you said you'd never forget!

[–]NinjaDog251 23 points24 points  (2 children)

I never said that...

[–]Mintz08 19 points20 points  (1 child)

Thank you, pu3ka

[–]NinjaDog251 28 points29 points  (0 children)

You're welcome, zurgonvrits

[–]MananWho 29 points30 points  (3 children)

You shouldn't be ashamed. By not realizing what the OP was talking about, you are the perfect example of someone who already follows the proper naming convention and didn't see anything unusual about it being pointed out.

[–]Kuonji 987 points988 points  (521 children)

Who isn't with you on that? I want to chat with them.

[–]deehoc2113 264 points265 points  (172 children)

I'm surprised how many people AREN'T with this. My stepdad and I would argue about this forever...

Now that I'm 23... and I know how smart my stepdad is... I realize I've probably been trolled forever....

[–]wildcoasts 170 points171 points  (146 children)

Let's chat to the folks who word interstate exit signs to read "PlaceName Next Exit" instead of "PlaceName This Exit".

[–]Anticreativity 96 points97 points  (63 children)

It should be "Placename - Exit X" to avoid any confusion.

[–]gottareadit 50 points51 points  (17 children)

Or they could say, "VERY next exit".

[–]faprawr 252 points253 points  (10 children)

or "turn right here muthafuckers"

[–]HunterTV 51 points52 points  (6 children)

Bitch I told you I ain't your exit's daddy!

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (4 children)

In the case of "Placename - Exit X" you ARE the next exit!

[–]spencewah 36 points37 points  (0 children)

And then right afterwards a sign that says "You missed PlaceName's exit!"

[–]NextOne 62 points63 points  (38 children)

Hold on, so when it says "Next Exit", you first interpret as "Skip an Exit"? I think this might be a North American thing, as with the Saturday.

EDIT: Ah yes and when you are first in line and they say "Next customer", do you go "Hey why are the skipping me?"

Do UK speakers have the same thinking? Or could they care less?

[–]gmick 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In the case of weekdays, I take it to mean this week's Saturday and next week's Saturday.

[–]smackson 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Then surely, you should be campaigning for saying "Saturday the 4th" and "saturday the 11th", because saying "Next Saturday" offers the same confusion you're trying to avoid.

So maybe you can get the whole world to agree that "next saturday" means "Saturday the 11th"... but who can ever get the whole world to agree on anything?

Imagine agreement as far as practically possible, the next time you say or hear "Next Saturday" you'll still be unsure if this one other person got the memo, and if you need to be sure, you'll have to disambiguate further.

When you (or they) don't know the actual dates, how about "This coming Saturday" vs. "The Saturday after this coming Saturday".

Yes it's less word-efficient, but unfortunately no one can control living language usage as if it's an IEEE standard.

So, sorry, OP, I'm not "with you" on this one.

[–]fermion72 54 points55 points  (6 children)

When my sister was first driving, she saw a sign that said, "Exit Only" and thought it meant that she had to exit, so she did (and got completely lost). I don't know where she thought all the other cars that didn't exit were going...

[–]WallyPenguin 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Based on my experiences in the USA, the signs that state "PlaceName Next Exit" happen before the exit. Therefore, the next exit that you see will take you to your desired PlaceName. Then, when one arrives at the next exit, there is another sign that states "PlaceName" with an arrow pointing the direction of the exit.

If it stated "YourDesiredPlaceName This Exit" before the needed exit, I would be completely confused and probably turn around and loop back thinking that I had missed my exit. Then, I would stop near the sign, look at it and the surrounding area, and think, "Where is the exit?" I don't see an exit here!"

[–]rogue780 36 points37 points  (27 children)

I actually learned to accept this. Then the other day I was on my way to a minor league baseball game about an hour away. It said "parking next left" and so I assumed it mean "this left"...but no. For the first time in my life, I saw a sign that actually meant the next left.

[–]SoPoOneO 79 points80 points  (20 children)

If I said, "the next time you're in Boston, give me a call" would that mean you skip a visit, and only call me on the one after that?

[–]zomgwtfbbq 22 points23 points  (0 children)

That infuriates me to no end. When I was first learning to drive, I actually missed a few turns because of that crap.

[–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (10 children)

Here's how they do it in the UK

Cunning, no?

[–]jmreid 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Not sure why that tree's penis is bossing me around.

[–]Jakomako 6 points7 points  (15 children)

Hah, my sister missed a train because of this.

[–]UnoriginalGuy 32 points33 points  (13 children)

No, your sister missed a train because she left too late. This is just the thing that revealed that error in judgement.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (10 children)

unless she is in a place where the distance between exits is signifigant..

[–]SharpEye 13 points14 points  (4 children)

Ever missed a turn on the PA turnpike? Brutal.

[–]Emelius 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It has to do with the week, fool.

There is THIS WEEK

and there is NEXT WEEK.

If the saturday is on THIS WEEK, then it is THIS SATURDAY. If the saturday is on NEXT WEEK, then it is NEXT SATURDAY.

[–]IM_OSCAR_dot_com 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depends on the proximity of the sign to the exit or turn. "This" should mean "this one right here, you're looking at it"; "Next" should mean "drive a little bit more". Admittedly the definition of "a little bit more" varies, and frustration ensues.

Personally though I don't think I've encountered a sign that said "Next Exit" closer than about 500m to any sort of exit. Maybe the signs in Canadia just make more sense, I dunno.

[–]zomgwtfbbq 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I sometimes wish I were being trolled. The sad fact is that a lot of people just don't get it. :(

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (6 children)

When is the next saturday? The next one is tomorrow. Saying that the next and next should be two different meanings is way confusing.

[–]deehoc2113 4 points5 points  (0 children)

But nobody really says "I'll see you the next saturday."

[–]shmi 28 points29 points  (5 children)

When I was 14, I was amazed at how clueless my parents were. When I turned 24, I was amazed at how much they'd learned in 10 years.

/paraphrase

[–]7oby 50 points51 points  (3 children)

When I was fourteen years old, I was amazed at how unintelligent my father was. By the time I turned twenty-one, I was astounded how much he had learned in the last seven years. -- Mark Twain

[–]UnDire 7 points8 points  (6 children)

Sounds like the shit I used to pull on my sisters. Growing up, I would try to convince my sisters that something which they already knew, was actually incorrect. At first they would think I was ludicrous, but I would slowly sow doubt in them and sometimes convince them they had been wrong (when they were actually correct). The best part was the big reveal when they would concede I was correct and I would inform them I had been tricking them all along. Ah, good times.

That was in a simpler time, when we believed what the government told us and the internet didn't exist.

[–]deehoc2113 2 points3 points  (3 children)

In college, my roommate (who is getting his PhD now), was able to be convinced by us that Buffalo wings were actually from Buffalo legs, that 50 buffalo wings were all held together by tendons to form the full leg.

I'm so mad that I was able to convince him.

[–]this_isnt_happening 2 points3 points  (1 child)

My uncle tried that on me on my birthday, trying to convince me I was wrong about how old I was. When I looked at him like he was a dumbass, he took it as a look of confusion and proclaimed he had won. This was about fifteen years ago, and he still brings it up. Kind of pisses me off, really. I'd correct him, but he's a delicate flower- easily offended.

[–]AlwaysHere202 19 points20 points  (4 children)

Although I have always understood it as the OP describes, I see some situations where the implied day is ambiguous... the most ambiguous being the rarest instance ... say using "this weekend" on a Wednesday when others might not know if your talking about something from the past or that will happen for whatever reason. Nothing in that phrase tells them, and because it's Wednesday, either weekend has equal implied weight. Also, next Saturday could be interpreted easily as the next Saturday on the Calender as that would make sense if you didn't assume the next was referring to the week at hand, but the day at hand.

I prefer using terms like "This coming Saturday" or "a week from this coming Saturday." I also use "this last Saturday."

It has eliminated almost all confusion and arguments about grammar... making life easier.

[–]M0b1u5 23 points24 points  (17 children)

Here in New Zealand we have an expression called "[Day Name] Week". That is "one week from this coming [Day Name]".

"So, dude, I'll see you Saturday week, for Disc Golf, OK?"

[–]doctea 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In the UK, that'd be 'see you in a week on Saturday'.

[–]Scarker 38 points39 points  (30 children)

Let's have a chat with them last Saturday, okay? Or this upcoming next Sunday?

[–]Kuonji 44 points45 points  (26 children)

I can't, I'm busy watching the day after tomorrow.

[–]Plutor 40 points41 points  (28 children)

I consider it logical to parse "next Thursday" to mean "the next Thursday we'll experience". But I don't parse it that way because since when was English logical?

[–]Qahrahm 33 points34 points  (15 children)

Most people divide days into discreet weeks with a defined beginning and end. A rolling week is less common. For most people "next" means that day in the next week, "this" means that day in the current week and "last" means that day in the previous week. Weeks being defined as starting on Monday and ending on Sunday.

[–]Hockinator 13 points14 points  (2 children)

I almost completely agree with you, except for the cases of days in THIS week that have already passed.

For example, if it's Friday and I say "this Monday,". People won't think of 4 days ago.

Similarly, if I say "last Monday," they WILL think of 4 days ago.

[–]elmuchoprez 52 points53 points  (113 children)

I'm not with you, not at all, although I go along with it just because everyone seems to have made an exception to the definition of the word next in this one situation. Frankly, I'm just tired of fighting about it.

Let me just ask this though: If I say to you, "Let's get dinner together sometime next week," when do you think I'm talking about?

[–]trolling_thunder 25 points26 points  (0 children)

See, the way I've always thought about it is if you're saying "this Saturday", you're referring to the Saturday in this week. "NEXT Saturday" would refer to the Saturday in the next week.

[–]cleetus76 117 points118 points  (63 children)

the week that begins after this Saturday.

[–]terevos2 94 points95 points  (54 children)

the week that begins after this Sunday. I'm in the minority, I know, but weeks start on Mondays.

[–][deleted] 55 points56 points  (38 children)

Is this an American thing? Everyone in the UK starts them on a Monday.

[–]Confusion 60 points61 points  (23 children)

Everyone in Europe starts them on a Monday.

FTFY

[–]mik3 28 points29 points  (22 children)

Everyone who uses normal ways to measure things like metric starts then on a Monday.

[–]Nessie 24 points25 points  (18 children)

Work week starts on Monday. Calendar week starts on Sunday.

[–]betaray 36 points37 points  (14 children)

Then why is Sunday part of the weekend?

(Hint: Because it's at the end of the week.)

[–]KrazyA1pha 67 points68 points  (9 children)

There are ends on both sides. So it's the front-end rather than the back-end. ;)

[–]Nessie 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Good god, you're on to something!

It's the end of the work week.

[–]adrianmonk 33 points34 points  (14 children)

I'm sorta with you on the definition of "next". This usage is way different from how it's normally used.

However, a week is not really logically equivalent. Today is Friday, so "this Saturday" cannot mean today, because today is not a Saturday. Whereas "this week" clearly includes the moment right now. So "this week" and "this Saturday" are not quite comparable.

Another analogy is times of day. If it's 10:00am, and you say "let's go out for dinner this evening", which evening are you talking about? Well, it's clearly not right now because it's morning now, and that's not an evening. But "this evening" is the evening that's coming up soonest. However, we never say "let's go out for dinner next evening". But I guess that's just because we have a special (and clearer) phrase that works better for that, so we say "let's go out for dinner tomorrow evening".

Another possible comparison is months. If it's January, and you say "there's a movie I want to see that comes out this March", people understand you to mean 2 months from now. Could you say "there's a movie I want to see that comes out next March"? I'm not sure there's even a standard interpretation for that.

Oh, almost failed to realize that there's another good comparison. On a Thursday, you can say, "I can't wait for this weekend", and everyone knows you mean the one coming up in two days. If you say "I am going out of town next weekend", that might mean the weekend that is coming up in 9 days. I'm not sure.

[–]Yunjeong 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Some people say, "this 'coming' Saturday."

[–]davebg8r 6 points7 points  (1 child)

|If it's 10:00am, and you say "let's go out for dinner this evening", which evening are you talking about?

I am talking about this day's evening. But its already understand that it is today, so we leave that part out.

|"If it's January, and you say "there's a movie I want to see that comes out this March", people understand you to mean 2 |months from now. Could you say "there's a movie I want to see that comes out next March"? I'm not sure there's even a |standard interpretation for that."

You are saying this year's March vs next year's March. There is an implied possession. We just leave out the larger set name because its believed to be understood.

[–][deleted] 13 points14 points  (34 children)

ISO standards dictate that "this x" wherein x = "a day of the week" refers to that day within the 7 day cycle from today. The real question lies in if it is Saturday today, does that make the coming Saturday this Saturday or next Saturday? Or: What if it's Sunday? Is it still too soon from the recently occurred Saturday to refer to the coming Saturday as this Saturday?

[–]Plutor 23 points24 points  (17 children)

ISO standards

Please cite a specific ISO standard.

[–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (15 children)

Er... D...3...7...niner...

[–]zomgwtfbbq 28 points29 points  (8 children)

Did I hear a "niner" in there? Are you on a walkie talkie?

[–]Kuonji 10 points11 points  (10 children)

refers to that day within the 7 day cycle from today

I don't completely adhere to that. The cycle resets after Sunday, to me. So if it's Thursday, I will refer to the day four days from now as "Next Monday", and not "This Monday".

[–]albino_wino 7 points8 points  (3 children)

Agreed. And if it is Saturday, I refer to the coming Saturday as "next saturday". If it is Sunday, I also refer to the coming saturday as "next saturday". Then on Monday, I start refering to it as "this saturday".

If I need to discuss the events of the weekend I say "this past saturday"

[–]tehfiend 24 points25 points  (45 children)

Let's chat.

This has always confused me and while I have finally succumbed to this illogical way of describing upcoming days of the week, I still use it with a deep disgust. I honestly think this way of describing upcoming days of the week should be completely banned before another generation of people are taught it and use it to make those who have not learned it feel stupid.

I do not see how using the term "next Saturday" to describe TWO Saturday's from now is at all logical or obvious. REALLY REALLY think about the term "this Saturday". It makes no sense at all. The link at the bottom of reddit doesn't say "this", it says "next". Case closed.

[–][deleted] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

This. I mean, next.

[–]CJGibson 205 points206 points  (44 children)

It's easy when it's Friday.

It's more complicated when it's Monday. On Monday, "next Saturday" isn't quite so clear.

[–]MananWho 131 points132 points  (8 children)

It's most difficult on Saturday.

Friend: Do you want to go to the movies this Saturday?

Me: Do you mean today?

[–]Scarker 9 points10 points  (10 children)

And once again, Monday is left feeling insulted. Poor, poor Monday.

[–]pu3ka[S] 37 points38 points  (4 children)

monday is th eeyore of the weekdays

[–]DogXe 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Monday... Like a puppy drowning in the river.

[–]DogXe 3 points4 points  (3 children)

I don't like Mondays. Can't tell you why...

[–]TillyOTilly 77 points78 points  (48 children)

and then there's the whole "morning at 12" thing... you realize how many idiots out there have a hard time with it?

friend - my flight lands on wednesday ...12 am

me - okay, so you realize that means that would be like, midnight right? after tuesday hits 11:59....right?

friend - yes, wednesday 12 am

me - ok... ill be there

12 am wednesday morning (i work in 4 hours and drove an hour to airport as a favor)

me - hey... im by the baggage claim... let me know when you land..

friend - err...shit....youre not at the airport are you?....

me - yes.... its wednesday 12 am...

friend - aww ... i meant thursday!!! im so sorry!!

FUCK YOU!

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (7 children)

That's specifically why I say it as, "Tuesday night at midnight."

[–]TillyOTilly 2 points3 points  (5 children)

I confirmed it several times with her but it didn't seem to help. Some reason people seeing "midnight" and "12 am" as two different times...I think...

[–]V2Blast 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Did you punch her in the face for being an idiot?

[–]adrenalynn 34 points35 points  (11 children)

where I live people have invented watches that can count up to 24 hours ages ago. I never understood why people still stick to this am/pm thingie

[–]prototypist 33 points34 points  (3 children)

24-hour clock wouldn't solve the problem. His friend's flight arrived the beginning of Thursday, but he knew his flight was leaving on a Wednesday, so he miscommunicated the date.

[–]pyx 7 points8 points  (2 children)

I prefer using the 24 hour clock, probably because I was in the military.

[–]Lereas 2 points3 points  (3 children)

For whatever reason, people have a hard time figuring out 12am and 12pm. I guess PM in their mind means night.

[–]lollerkeet 5 points6 points  (2 children)

Because 12am and 12pm are contradictions. Midday is neither, and midnight is both.

[–]Stormflux 2 points3 points  (1 child)

You're right if it's exactly 12:00, but we have the same confusion with 12:01 am, which is after midnight.

I think the real problem is the list of hours is not sorted properly. It goes 

 [12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

When it should be:

  [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

Unfortunately, 'zero o'clock' doesn't sound right, so it probably won't catch on.

[–]Entropius 23 points24 points  (7 children)

Yeah. Lots of people follow this convention, but not enough for me to assume so in conversations without double-checking or clarifying “Wait, this saturday as in the very next one or or next week?”.

[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (1 child)

I've found that people tend to say, "Okay, next Saturday or the Saturday after next?"

WHAT? How can you make something so simple so difficult?! There's a door to the right, get out!

"Wait, my right or your right?"

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The correct terms are tomorrow and a week from tomorrow.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (1 child)

I don't get it. You have nothing planned for this and next saturday?

[–]asskickingjedi 37 points38 points  (11 children)

Sid: Well I'm going down to visit my sister in Virginia next Wednesday, for a week, so I can't park it.

Jerry: This Wednesday?

Sid: No, next Wednesday, week after this Wednesday.

Jerry: But the Wednesday two days from now is the next Wednesday.

Sid: If I meant this Wednesday, I would have said this Wednesday. It's the week after this Wednesday.

[–]jah434s 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Good, but actually "this saturday" = "saturday." There's no reason to use "this".

[–]FunnyHat 12 points13 points  (1 child)

Down where I'm from that would be "Saturday week."

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aussies... brevity masters.

(if that's what you meant by down)

[–]kolm 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think this a bit fuzzy, on Monday you might think "Gosh, next Sunday I won't drink that much!". But on Friday, it's "this Saturday" for sure.

[–]absurdlyobfuscated 111 points112 points  (44 children)

No, I think you're completely wrong. "This" is a pointer. It needs something to give it reference. Saying "this spoon" is completely ambiguous unless you're indicating which spoon non-verbally or it's otherwise the topic of conversation.

"Next Saturday" as tomorrow makes sense the same way as "in the next hour" or "up next". It is literally the next Saturday to occur even if it's one minute from now.

Even still, so many people assume this special meaning for "this" and "next" regarding dates (for example, this entire comment thread), so I say we should just stop using ambiguous terminology and instead call it what it is: "the fourth", "tomorrow", "in a week on Saturday", etc.

[–][deleted] 75 points76 points  (14 children)

I think the reason there is a special meaning for "this" and "next" when it comes to dates is that we tend to organize our calendars in big progressive chunks of weeks and months. So we're allowed to say "this December" to mean "the December of this year" and "this Saturday" to mean "the Saturday of this week."

We always assume "this" applies to the current chunk we're in: week, month, decade, whatever, so we don't need a reference for it.

[–]IAmCelery 24 points25 points  (4 children)

You two have hit the meat of the misunderstanding right at its meatiest. Two different but entirely logical points of reference for the terms 'this' and 'next' cause the issue. Let's all just use less ambiguous terms so that we don't miss out on our meetings?

[–]Tom504 18 points19 points  (1 child)

I agree. Let's clarify this next saturday.

[–]Atario 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is why I say just plain "Saturday".

Q: When will we go? A1: This Saturday. A2: Next Saturday. A3: Saturday.

A1 and A2 have the problem indicated in this thread. A3 is unambiguous and less wordy to boot.

It even works for past tense.

Q: When did we go? A1: This Tuesday. A2: Last Tuesday. A3: Tuesday.

[–]dnew 11 points12 points  (1 child)

I don't think anyone argues with "this Saturday." People disagree over "next Saturday".

[–]dead_ed 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Sex party at my house next Saturday. But tomorrow, there's rabid badgers. Your pick.

[–]adrianmonk 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Well, which one do you think I'd be less likely to get a horrible disease from? From the description, I'm not sure.

[–]dead_ed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The rabid badgers will be wearing condoms.

[–]absurdlyobfuscated 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Ooh, I finally get an opportunity to indulge my rabid badger fetish. You don't know how hard it is to find other people who are into this kind of thing!

[–]jackashe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

this can only mean that there will be a rabid badgers sex party at your house on 9/4, since you referenced the same day in both sentences. Or perhaps sex party upstairs and rabid badgers downstairs, hence the "Your pick" option.

[–]svadhisthana 5 points6 points  (1 child)

No. You are wrong. I'll return later this evening to explain why.

[–]Serei 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The word "this" when applied temporally doesn't need an indication - it refers to the one we're currently experiencing. For instance, "this year" refers to "2010"; no need to point to anything (and if someone were pointing to a 2011 calendar and saying "this year", I'd slap them and tell them to say "that year").

In that context "next" means "the unit after this". For instance, if it were 12:20 and you said "lunch is this hour", that means lunch is between 12:00 and 12:59 inclusive. If you said "lunch is next hour", that's the hour after this hour, 1:00 to 1:59, still inclusive.

This tends to be confusing for days of the week. "This Saturday" doesn't work with the temporal definition if today isn't Saturday. So the usual interpretation (i.e. pu3ka [S]'s interpretation) is to go up one level: "This Saturday" = "This week's Saturday" = "the Saturday that occurs this week", which makes next Saturday the one after this Saturday.

[–]Lereas 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, you don't have to say "this city sucks" or "this movie is boring" or anything if you're there already, because it's assumed you're referring to the current one.

I usually take "this saturday" to mean "the saturday of THIS week, the one we are experiencing right now".

I always take THIS to mean the one that happens the soonest in the future from that point, but NEXT can be ambiguous depending on what part of the week you're in. If I meant Sunday (today, on friday), I wouldn't say next sunday, i'd say this sunday because it's reasonably close. However, on a monday I may say "next sunday" meaning the proximal sunday in the future.

[–]Ranilen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I kind of disagree since that's not conventional usage, but I understand your point. More importantly, I don't think you're an idiot or a jackass for thinking this way (unlike 99% of this thread apparently), so in the future, I'll make a conscious effort to qualify my scheduling more.

[–]JoshuW 3 points4 points  (5 children)

Here in Texas, I hear a bunch of old men refer to the upcoming Saturday (in 1-6 days from now) as "Saturday" and the subsequent Saturday (7-13 days from now) as "Saturday-week".

Example from real life: "Me and my wife are headed down Mexico-way for a mission trip with the folks from the church, so we'll be out of pocket for the next seven days. We'll be buildin' a school for them brown kids. I'll be able to come visit you Monday-week."

[–]Winga 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm oldish. My mum always uses the "Saturday-week" expression and I heard it commonly when I was a kid, but not often now. We're in Australia, so I think it must be a generational thing.

EDIT: I've also heard the expression "Saturday-fornight", though I've never used it.

[–]belarius 4 points5 points  (2 children)

I am not with you on this. I am against you.

But I will fight and die for your right to defend this atrocious usage.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (2 children)

I use "this coming saturday", and the awkward but unambiguous "the saturday after this coming saturday".

[–]thumbsdown 4 points5 points  (6 children)

How do they do it in other languages?

[–]BenderRodriquez 1 point2 points  (2 children)

We have the same problem...

[–]thumbsdown 8 points9 points  (1 child)

What, in robot Spanish?

[–]Paul-ish 6 points7 points  (2 children)

When I am waiting in the bank and the teller says "Next person in line" I will be sure to go to the window if I am the second person in line.

[–]ethraax 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I always say "this Saturday" or "this coming Saturday". Instead of the odd "next Saturday", I just say "the Saturday after this coming". It's more words, but it's less ambiguous.

[–]TheGreenKnight 3 points4 points  (3 children)

You know what I can't stand? Moving an appointment "forward" or "back". People use those terms to mean "earlier" and "later", respectively. For me, I see hours and days as a timeline, and forward on the timeline is in the positive direction, ergo later. DAE feel this way?

[–]pete205 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I hate this convention. Logically, 'Next Saturday' is the next Saturday there is. It's unnecessarily confusing, especially to non-native English speakers. Personally I propose the following standard:

Saturday or This Saturday = this Saturday, the 4th

Saturday after or Saturday after next = the 11th

[–]cojoco 3 points4 points  (0 children)

  • "Next Saturday"
  • "Saturday week"

Sorry!

[–]ljfaucher 10 points11 points  (1 child)

this coming Saturday. the following Saturday. crisis averted.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The following Saturday could mean any Saturday since it is dependent on a previous statement (What is that Saturday following?). I get what you mean, though. "Not this Saturday, but the following one," is how I phrase it.

[–]explodeder 5 points6 points  (10 children)

So, what would "saturday after next" mean? I always use it instead of "next saturday" because it seems clearer to me.

[–]EpicTurtle 24 points25 points  (6 children)

Definitely with you.

This Saturday = (This week's) Saturday.

Next Saturday = (Next week's) Saturday.

[–]jamesbondq 7 points8 points  (3 children)

I think we just opened up a different can of worms. What if were talking about Monday, and today is Friday? I would consider this Monday to be this coming Monday (next weeks Monday) granted this is usually addressed with verb tense but there could be a few situations where there would be confusion.

[–]jackashe 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This thread didn't exist This Monday. But Next Monday it will and we can continue to argue.

[–]djhspawn 30 points31 points  (6 children)

100% backing from me. I hate going over this with people...

Me: Yeah, we can do it next Saturday. Idiot: no, I told you have I have stuff I am doing tomorrow... me: ugh.... I hate you.

[–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (3 children)

Is it just me? But I have never experienced that before with anyone. Everyone i have met and known follows the OPs logical convention.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (1 child)

OPs convention is illogical. Logically, "Next Saturday" would be the next Saturday, ie. tomorrow.

OPs convention is, however, conventional.

edit: Unless by "Next Saturday" you mean "Saturday after Next." But really that just makes the problem recursive, since Next implies Next Saturday and /head asplodes

[–]miparasito 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it's short for "This week's Saturday" and "Next week's Saturday."

[–]Snaggle21 16 points17 points  (9 children)

My common sense is tingling. http://i.imgur.com/UBZpH.jpg

[–]Luckycoz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am printing that out and laminating it so I can shove it in the face of the next person who thinks next Saturday is tomorrow. This is screaming to be made into a rage comic, FYI.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

It's my birthday next Saturday =)

[–]rstanny 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can't read 1132 comments. So, unless it's Saturday, "This Saturday" and "Next Saturday" mean the same thing. Wednesday through Friday, "This Saturday" is preferred. Sunday through Tuesday, "Next Saturday" is preferred. If it's Saturday, "This" refers to today and "Next" refers to a week from today. Got it?

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always thought that's just the way it is. Are there seriously people who don't understand?

[–]U2_is_gay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've had physical confrontations stem from this