Is ‘next Sunday’ the one coming up or the one after?

[user9812]

Just that really. If today is Wednesday and someone refers to ‘next Sunday’ do they mean the one in 4 days time or 11 days time? I assumed 4 days time.

My mum and I had an argument about this once. She was in the immediate next Sunday coming camp where as I’m in the Sunday of next week camp.

However if today is Monday and someone talks about next Sunday, I would probably think about the one in 6 days time but if today is Friday and someone talks about next Sunday, I would think they were talking about it the one in 9 days time as otherwise they would just say Sunday. Yes I know that is not logical!

I would say this Sunday or next Sunday, but I always disambiguate with a date or (if H) context chat.

I wonder if it's a throw back to liturgical time.

'Next Sunday' is the Sunday after the immediately upcoming one. That Sunday is 'this Sunday'.

It could be either, so it's better to specify to avoid confusion.

11 day time. If it were a Monday or Tuesday I would think the one coming up because of how I see the days of the week in my head

To certify I always say ‘this Sunday’ or ‘a week on Sunday’ - then there’s no room for confusion!

There’s a lot of ambiguity and people have different interpretations so if I’m making an arrangement I’ll always say Sunday 23rd or Sunday 30th so it’s crystal clear.

If someone said to you ‘the Sunday after next’, what date would you think they meant?

According to DH The next junction is always the one coming up ..

whereas the next Wednesday is the one after if you are already in that week -ie if it’s Sunday and beyond. If it was Friday he would mean the next Wednesday you meet

we have learnt to work around this

Next Sunday is the 30 August

this Sunday is 23 August

Saying ‘next’ for the one which is in reality the next but one is what is illogical even if it is commonplace! IME quite a lot of people do intuitively think much as you do. It’s about the relative proximity of ‘this’ vs ‘next’ I think. I suppose it’s something like ‘the Sunday belonging to this/next week’?

…yes, I think that’s it. The difference is whether you’re thinking in days or in weeks.

It’s ambiguous. I avoid the phrase “next Sunday” for this reason.

And then there are the arguments about whether Sunday is the first day of the week.

11 days away

People interpret it differently so best to check with the person saying it

Last Sunday - the one just gone
This Sunday - the one coming up
Next Sunday - the one after the one coming up

Thank you everyone. It’s been interesting to read the responses and I think the lesson for me here is to always double check. Thank you to the person who posted the link to the similar recent thread - good to know I’m not the only one to have made an incorrect assumption on this.

11 days time, 4 days time would be ‘this Sunday’.

11 days time,

We were brought up to say "Sunday week" to avoid any ambiguity.

The one coming up is ‘(the) next (time it is) Sunday’,

‘A week on Sunday’ is the Sunday after the next one.

Next Sunday is the next one to come. Obviously.

If you're getting the next bus, you don't let one go past then catch the following one.
My next birthday (born in Feb) is in 2027, not 2028.

Husband thinks it's not the next Sunday but the one after. After over 50 years I still can't convince him he's wrong.

And I think the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. He says Sunday is the first day of the week.

I agree, next Sunday is also referred to in my house as "this Sunday coming" whereas 11 days' time will be "week on Sunday".

It's the Sunday 11 days away, but always best to clarify the date if agreeing to something as different people have different interpretations!

11 days, the one in 4 days is “this Sunday”

I'd call 4 days time "this Sunday".