If somebody says ‘Next December I’m gonna do something’, and we have, let’s say, April of 2016, does he mean December of 2016 or December of 2017? Answer He is most likely referring to December of the next year, 2017. If the speaker wished to refer to the December that comes next, in 2016, he … Read more
Would “last Thanksgiving” at the end of 2014 refer to November 27, 2014 or November 27, 2013? Technically, the most recent Thanksgiving would be the former but the Thanksgiving in the last year would be the latter. What about in January of 2015? Answer In a context where particular precision might be expected, “last Thanksgiving” … Read more
Possible Duplicate: Which day does “next Tuesday” refer to? Suppose today is Tuesday. What do last Monday, this Monday and next Monday mean? Answer Let’s analyze this Monday first. I saw him this Monday. Obviously, the speaker means yesterday. I have a meeting with him scheduled for this Monday. If it were Friday today, you’d … Read more
Duplicate: What day is next Tuesday? I have always considered next Friday to be not this coming Friday, but the one after. This Friday is the Friday at the end of this week. I have a Canadian friend, however, who enforces the more literal meaning of next Friday — the Friday that comes next. Is … Read more
At what point does next Tuesday mean the next Tuesday that will come to pass and no longer the Tuesday after the Tuesday that will come to pass? And, when does the meaning switch back? Answer To me, “next Tuesday” means the Tuesday that comes next week. For example, on Monday, October 11 and Wednesday, … Read more
