When does "next Friday" mean "Friday after next"?

Factual Questions
1

Perhaps this has been discussed before, but it’s difficult to search for.

Today I invited a friend to go to a show with me “next Friday.” Today being Saturday, it seems clear that the day I mean is the upcoming Friday, i.e., six days from now. Had I said “Friday after next,” 13 days from now would be the implication.

Now, if I had called instead on Thursday and referred to “next Friday,” ISTM the average person would think I meant nine days later–that is, the same as “Friday after next.” Probably the same would be true if I had called Wednesday. GQ-wise, is there a conventional meaning, whether widely known or not, of the term “next ____-day”?

2

If it is 6 days or less until the day in question, it is “this x”. Like today, if I wanted to go to a movie on the 19th, I would say, "Do you want to go to a movie this Friday. If I meant going on the 26th, I would say next Friday, and if I meant November 2nd, then I would say Friday after next.

3

Or, if you don’t mean “this” Friday, some folks say, “Friday a week”, meaning at least a full week will pass before the intended day.

4

It has been discussed a lot here. I never saw anything close to a consensus. I always ask for clarification.

5

I find “next” in this context extremely confusing. I tend to say “this friday” (or “this coming friday”) and “the friday after this one.”

6

I avoid this and similar expressions. I’m a native speaker of English, and I don’t even know what it means.

7

I’m a nerd. I’ll say “How 'bout a movie Friday? That’d be the 19th.” A little simple clarification can prevent a big mess.

8

I think the cutoff would be at the start of the current week Monday (I know the week really starts on Sunday, but not in practical life). If you told me, “Let’s go to the movies next Friday” I would take it to mean on:

Sat: the real next Fri.
Sun: the real next Fri
Mon-Fri: the following Fri…

9

More or less like this : If this is Friday-Sunday, “Next”= the upcoming Friday.

Thursday= “next” means a week from tommorrow. No doubt.

Monday, Tues, Wednesday= it’s unclear, ask for a clarification. :smiley: Usually here, “next” means Friday a week hence.

But “this upcoming Friday” leaves no doubt.

10

You know a real simple way? Instead of piling rule upon rule, and exception upon exception, let’s have “next” mean “next”. It is “next” whether we are one day or seven days away. “Next” whether the week begins on Sunday or on Monday. “Next” means what it says: “next” — “coming immediately after the time of writing or speaking”.

End of confusion.

11

There is absolutely no standard. Although I agree with Walloon that that makes sense, there is no force in the world that could make everyone use and interpret it that way.

So, to avoid confusion I refer to it as the soonest Friday, or by date if I know it offhand.

12

My family has always used the “Friday week” formation. It’s very useful, and I wish it was more commonly used.

Friday 5th: “last Friday week”
Friday 12th: “last Friday”
Today, Sunday 14th
Friday 19th: “this Friday”
Friday 26th: “Friday week”