In this mini episode, you will learn a confusing way that we talk about the days of the week and the future.
Episode 429 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you a confusing way that we talk about the days of the week and the future. Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi! This is Ivy, from Wuzhou, Guangxi, China. You’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 429 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you about a very common and very confusing thing. This is about the way we talk about days of the week and the calendar.
When we are talking about something in the future—a meeting or a party or some kind of event that will be happening later—there are some very confusing things that you really need to know.
That description does not sound very interesting or informative. But I think you will understand what I’m talking about when we get specific.
For all of these examples, we are going to assume that today is Monday, and it is the first of the month. Today is Monday the first. In these examples. That’s what we’re going to say: Today is Monday the first.
Let’s say that I am going to have a party on Friday the fifth. Today is Monday the first. I am going to have a party on Friday the fifth. How can I describe that day? Do I call it “this Friday”? Do I call it “next Friday”? How do I describe Friday the fifth if today is Monday the first.
You might think that the right way to describe Friday the fifth is by calling it “next Friday” because it is the next Friday that will come. Today is Monday. This will be the next Friday that we will see. So, shouldn’t we be able to say the party is next Friday?
This is why I say this is confusing: Because we do not call that day “next Friday.” We don’t call it “next Friday” even though it is the next Friday that will come. Instead, we have to call that Friday “this Friday.” This Friday. If today is Monday the first, and I am talking about a party that is on Friday the fifth, I will say that the party is this Friday. This Friday.
We use “this” and a day of the week when we are talking about an event that will happen in this week. In the same week. If it’s happening in the same week, we say “this.” This Friday.
I understand that this is very confusing. You might think we should call it “next Friday,” but we do not call it “next Friday.” So what is next Friday? Next Friday is the Friday that comes in the next week. If today is Monday the first, and my party is on Friday the twelfth—that’s the Friday in the next week—then I will say the party is next Friday.
This sounds confusing. And the truth is this is often confusing to native English speakers. Often, native English speakers are not exactly sure which Friday, or which day, someone is talking about. And so you will often hear conversations like this, even among native English speakers:
“My party is next Friday.”
“Wait... Do you mean your party is this Friday, or do you mean it’s the Friday in next week?”
You will actually hear conversations like that. And maybe because this can be confusing, there is another way of saying “this Friday.” Often, you’ll hear people use “this coming Friday.” If today is the first, and I am talking about a party on Friday the fifth, I can say that the party is “this Friday,” and I can say the party is “this coming Friday.” In other words, the Friday that is coming next. Maybe that’s supposed to make it seem a little more clear. I’m not really sure. The point is we can say “this Friday” and “this coming Friday” when we want to refer to a day that is in the same week.
Now, you might ask, “Well, what do I do about Sunday? If the week starts on Sunday, then do I ever use “this Sunday”? Or maybe even the nearest Sunday would be next Sunday because it’s in the next week?”
I think in this case, if you are talking about something that will happen the nearest Sunday, I think we would still say “this Sunday” or “this coming Sunday.”
And if there is any chance that you think somebody might not understand, you can always use the date. You can always say “Sunday the seventh” or “Sunday the fourteenth” (or whatever the right numbers are) to make sure that it is very clear.
And this is the confusing way that we talk about days and weeks, and this is something that I definitely think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 429 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have any questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Ivy recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!