last/next/this Monday

Forums: English
Email this Topic • Print this Page

If today is Wednesday, what does it mean by:

1. Last Monday I went out. ( Does "Last monday" refer to the day before yesterday or the previous week's Monday?)

2. I will go out next Monday ( Does "next Monday" refer to first Monday after today - 5 days later or second Monday after today - 12 days later).

3. I went out this Monday. ( Does it mean that I went out on the first Monday of the week, counting Sunday as the first day of the week? Or should Monday be considered the first day of the week?)

Many thanks.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 639 • Replies: 11

No top replies

Re: last/next/this Monday
Please note that the usage I am describing in my answers is my local (UK) English usage.

Yoong Liat wrote:

If today is Wednesday, what does it mean by:

1. Last Monday I went out. ( Does "Last monday" refer to the day before yesterday or the previous week's Monday?)

The previous week's Monday. If I meant the Monday which was the day before yesterday, I would say "On Monday I went out" or "I went out this Monday."

Quote:

2. I will go out next Monday ( Does "next Monday" refer to first Monday after today - 5 days later or second Monday after today - 12 days later).

The first Monday after today. The one after that is "The Monday after next".

Quote:

3. I went out this Monday. ( Does it mean that I went out on the first Monday of the week

The first Monday of the week? It is a strange week that has a second Monday!

"I went out this Monday" means "I went out on the Monday of this week" (used from Wednesday onwards)

Note that "I will go out this Monday" means "I will go out next Monday".

Quote:

...counting Sunday as the first day of the week? Or should Monday be considered the first day of the week?)

What has this got to do with "this Monday"?

In Jewish and Christian tradition, Sunday is the first day of the week, but some modern calendars end the week on Sunday and begin it on Monday. The ISO week date, part of the international standard ISO 8601, also defines Monday as the first day of the week, but this has not been widely adopted.

0 Replies

Thanks, Contrex, for the detailed reply. Btw, I study BrE.

I hope you do not mind clarifying the following:

"I went out this Monday" means "I went out on the Monday of this week" (used from Wednesday onwards) What does the phrase in bold mean in relation to the sentence?

Note that "I will go out this Monday" means "I will go out next Monday".
So if today is Wednesday, you will go out five days later. Am I correct?

Many thanks.

0 Replies

Yoong Liat wrote:

I hope you do not mind clarifying the following:

I don't mind at all!

Quote:

"I went out this Monday" means "I went out on the Monday of this week" (used from Wednesday onwards) What does the phrase in bold mean in relation to the sentence?

The phrase in bold refers to the fact that although a verb in the past tense in connection with "this Monday" indicates that we mean "the Monday of this present week", we would not say it on Tuesday, we would say "yesterday" instead. Thus it would be used on or after Wednesday.

Similarly, while a verb in the future tense used with "this Monday" indicates that we mean "next Monday", we would not use it on Sunday, we would say "tomorrow".

Sometimes, in order to avoid ambiguity, people will say "this Monday gone" or "this Monday coming".

Often, "this" will not be used, and verb tense is the sole indicator.

Suppose it is Friday.

"I saw my mother on Monday" - I saw my mother four days ago.

"I will see my mother on Monday" - I will see my mother in three days.

Quote:

Note that "I will go out this Monday" means "I will go out next Monday".

So if today is Wednesday, you will go out five days later. Am I correct?

That is correct.

0 Replies

Just so you know, Yoong Lait, many versions are used so that even English speakers need clarification. This happens frequently with other phrases, as well.

Some people say "last Monday" to mean the Monday just passed, while others mean it to be the previous week's Monday. And is "this Monday" the one from the week you're in, or is it the upcoming Monday (say you're speaking on a Wednesday)? It's very annoying that it's not universal. You just have to ask the speaker to clarify. I don't know why this is so because "next week, last week, and this week" is obvious.

The same goes with date styles. You can write August 10th, 2007 numerically a variety of ways... some put the month first, day next, then the year, as in: 09/10/07, while others use day, month, year, as in: 10/08/07. Then again, there are those that write the year first (usually governments), followed by month/day or day/month. It's a nightmare!

0 Replies

Oh dear, so confusing, Mame.

0 Replies

Mame is quite correct - these references to present or past days of the week are often confusing to native speakers.

To avoid ambiguity or misinterpretation, I often use "this past [day of week]" or "this coming [day of week]".

Examples:

Spoken on Wednesday:

"This past Saturday, Dr. Beauregard declared that he going to revise his will and leave his entire estate to a particularly attractive meerkat with whom he was in love."

"This coming Friday, a panel of psychiatrists will meet to evaluate Dr. Beauregard's mental condition."

P.S. You say you are studying BrE. Yet many of these responses are coming from North American native speakers. Do you see any disjunction in this situation?

0 Replies

Aa wrote:

You say you are studying BrE. Yet many of these responses are coming from North American native speakers. Do you see any disjunction in this situation?

as ever,aa is correct - there is a difference, which I noticeregularly - and it may be difficult for a non-native speaker to distinguish.

Is BrE British English?

0 Replies

Yeah, maybe I should just stay the heck out of these English questions if it's BrE that's wanted, and yes, I take that to be British English.

0 Replies

Mame wrote:

Yeah, maybe I should just stay the heck out of these English questions if it's BrE that's wanted, and yes, I take that to be British English.

Have no fear, you New World speakers. The British are never far away (though not in your time zone) Smile

last/next/this Monday

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know