Please Help Settle a Disagreement. This Versus Next

I would not say "next Wednesday" because I always think it's confusing! I would say, "This coming Wednesday" and then if I meant two weeks away I would say "Wednesday the 12th" or whatever the date is.
L.

This is why calendars are helpful. I agree on dates, not vague suggestions. Always clarify the date, whether you are giving or receiving the information.

Then there won't be any need for this sort of question.

"next" wed in this case would be 13 days away, not the wed. 6 days away. But I never use these terms without extra clarification because they are confusing. When I mean next I usually say, "not this Wednesday, but next Wednesday. " or "not this wed., but the following wed.".

Same. But if you said "this weekend" then I would assume that you mean this Saturday & Sunday (3 & 4 days away) while "next weekend" would mean a week after that. There's probably some logic to that, but I can't explain it.

Can I add to the confusion, my husband, British, is in the habit of saying things like "Thurday next." Use dates to avoid ambiguity.

Best,
F. B.

Updated

Can I add to the confusion, my husband, British, is in the habit of saying things like "Thurday next." Use dates to avoid ambiguity.

Best,
F. B.

Next means the next one that happens, next....

This Wednesday is usually used when it's Monday or Tuesday and you're speaking of an event and it's happening in the next 24-48 hours.

I use "this" when it's in "this" week and next when it's Sunday or part of tha next week. Even if there are no other day of the same name before it.

I also think it's a local thing. Some people grow up saying In-velope and others grow up saying On-velope. It's the same word but said differently.

If you are obviously talking about the future, I'd assume 6 days. If we'd miscommunicated before, I'd confirm the date.

oh man....you trying to have a battle of wits with a man?

Instead of saying "next week" - use the date!! On June 14th you have a doctor's appointment. Or whatever appointment you have.

When I hear "This Wednesday" - I will take it to mean the one coming up in six days (If your hypothetical day is Thursday). "this" and "next" in this context are interchangeable.

Well, for me, on Thursday there would not be a THIS Wednesday left in the week, but yes, I'd understand both of those to mean "the one coming up."

If it was Monday when you said it, then THIS Wednesday would be 2 days away (because there is still a Wednesday in THIS week) and Next Wednesday would be the one NEXT week.

:)

For me, they are the same. If you said the above on Tuesday, instead of Thursday, then it would mean different things.

I'm not a man and can't help with their logic. Sorry.

Good luck!
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or in your SWH example: If you told me today, Wednesday, that I have an appointment next Tuesday (or that I have an appointment Tuesday) then it would mean the same thing to me. If, however, you told me closer to the date (say... you didn't tell me today, but told me on Sunday or Monday), that I had an appointment on Tuesday it would mean the next day or day after, but if you said "next Tuesday" it would mean the following week.

I can't really explain why, but the closeness of the event happening or the emphasis added to NEXT make a difference in the meaning.
I'd probably also qualify such a statement made on Sunday or Monday about a Tuesday appointment ("Not THIS Tuesday, but NEXT Tuesday or, in the alternative, THIS Tuesday, NOT NEXT Tuesday). My default assumption, however, would depend upon if the day being mentioned falls within the same calendar week, basically. Yeah.. that's how I explain it! ;)

Yes. It's the next Wednesday.
Otherwise not would be "Wednesday after next."

I like Fanged Bunny's idea for "Wednesday next."

Use of "next wednesday" is totally ambiguous in this scenario and may lead to lack of communication.

"This Wednesday" should be totally clear and unambiguous.

If it is Thursday (6/5), and there is an appointment that is on Wednesday (6/11) I would say "this coming Wednesday" or June 11th. Saying "this Wednesday" could make someone think the appointment was missed already (since this week's Wednesday was passed). Saying "next Wednesday" needs clarification because to some it does me the very next Wednesday but to others it means "not this coming but next".

If it's Monday and the appointment is Wednesday, I would say "the appointment is this Wednesday".

I really think this is one of those things where you won't be able find a consistent answer.

More often than not, "this" refers to the very next time it will happen and "next" refers to the one after that. However, I would also have to say that according to what I just said, "the Tuesday after next" would have to mean the same thing as "next Tuesday." So what the hell do I know?

I usually say things like "this coming Tuesday" and "not this Tuesday, but the next one." If I'm really concerned I mention the date.

What gets me is "a quarter of nine." Maybe I just didn't know enough people growing up who said that, but it took me years to remember that "quarter of" meant "quarter 'til" and not "a quarter after." (Hope I got that one right.)

To me they are interchangeable.... Unless the day in question is only a day or two away. So if it was Sunday, and you said "next Tuesday" I would think of the Tuesday 9 days away. But in your example, you were saying it 6 days out, so I would think the upcoming Wednesday.

My logic. :)

When talking to my husband though, I always toss in an extra word. I will either say, "this COMING Wednesday" or "Wednesday after next." It makes life easier to just avoid miscommunication if it's so easy to do. Especially when dealing with men. ;)

This is the next day after the declaration so this Wednesday would be six days away. Next Wednesday would be 13. There are 7 days in a week, a week runs from this point in time, it has nothing to do with a calendar week, a work week, it is a week from now.

I am literal, in other words I think more like a man. An example, Wednesday 5/21 I received an email that our IPA bottle share would be put off till next Thursday. I checked the date of receipt, last Wednesday so it would be put off until 5/29. Four days later another woman said so we are doing the bottle share on 6/5. I emailed back, no, he sent that out last Wednesday...

My point is women do not look to the point in time it is said and count from there, they look at things by weeks, calendar weeks. Men do not. A man sent out the email, I had the date correct.

Blah, I had to clean that up, not a good idea to do this exercise without a calender in front of you looking back a couple weeks!

They are the same.

Now, in terms of communicating this to a less than detail oriented man... I create the appointment on iCal and send an invitation to my husband so it's on his iPhone. I set a reminder for the day before, and one for 2 hours before. This has cut down on the calls from the dentist's office saying, "Where's your husband? His appointment was 10 minutes ago." And me replying, "How would I know? I'm not his keeper!"

I find it easy to avoid that confusion by using a few extra clarifying words.
If today is Thursday, and I have an appointment in two days, I say "this coming Saturday." If it's Saturday of the next week, I say, "a week from Saturday." That way, there's no ambiguity.

I am SOO confused!!

TODAY IS Wednesday...yes?

Next wednesday for ME means six days from today.

IF today were Thursday even, I would still think 'next' Wednesday would still mean the NEXT wednesday...

Geesh...
Know I MUST know...why do you ask???

lol

Since it CAN BE confusing, I always say "this past Tuesday" or "this coming Tuesday" or "next week on Tuesday". And to be *very* clear, I will say "Tuesday, June 10th". I've found that "next Tuesday" means different things to different people and it's just not clear enough.

I always say "next" Thursday, and I mean the next one that comes up. Then I usually add the date as well, so we are all on the same page.

honestly it always confuses mend I have to ask for the date or how many days away the mean, hubs usued to do this all the time.

I also hate quarter after or half past. half past WHAT, if I knew what time it was I wouldn't ask.

That is too far away for there to be a difference. This Thursday to me is on the same calendar line as the current day, so Sunday or later. If the calendar week is on the following line, even if it's less than seven days, it's next week. So if it's Friday, it's next.

To me, it is not the same. I must think in weeks. This Wed. Would have been yesterday, next Wed. Is 6 days from now, and then it would be the following Wed. Or by date, Wed. June 18th. P.S. It makes more sense in my head.
To me: it is still not the same. This Tues. Was yesterday, next Tues. Is 6 days from now and then it would be the following Tues. Or the date. Sorry Felinestroller-today is Wed.:) I didn't mean to use an actual date. It helped me process the scenario....

Per your SWH: Tell him to read the calendar himself. He's a grown-up for goodness sake, and if you're going to be kind enough to put the calendar together, he can bloody well read it. Right now he's blaming you for HIM being an idiot.

Original:
Well, if it were this Tuesday, she would have missed her doctor appointment.

Let me go back to original example. If today is Thursday, then next Wednesday actually does mean next Wednesday, six days away.

She forgot the appointment. She just doesn't want to admit it. LAME. I would never pretend to be dumb just to save face. I mean, really...

Okay - I just saw that this is a man. Now, that REALLY IS lame...