This English grammatical fact is something that has confused me for a very long time and I hope you can provide some feedback and set the facts straight once and for all. It deals with the usage of "this" vs. "next" vs. "last" when it comes to the days of the week (e.g. next Friday). Apparently, there is some confusion as to which days are being referred to when one used the terms this, next, and last.

Let's say today is Wednesday the 15th.

I will give you my definition and understanding:

Friday the 17th is this Friday.
Friday the 24th is next Friday.

Monday the 13th is this Monday.
Monday the 6th is last Monday.

Is this your understanding?

The reason it is confusion is that I've heard some people refer to Friday the 17th as next Friday, and Monday the 13th as last Monday.

My understanding is that all calendars refer to Sundays as the start of a week and Saturdays as the end of the week. Therefore, this day of the week refers to any day of the current time period, whether or not it is in the past or future of today. So if today is a Sunday, then any day before next Sunday would be referred to as THIS day of the week. And if today is a Saturday, then the last six days would be referred to as THIS day of the week and the next six days would be referred to as NEXT day of the week.

O_O_O!!!! I always say THIS Friday when Im talking about the very next Friday [or whatever day] is coming up, and say NEXT Friday when Im referring to the one the week after.

^Me too

^^ me three

while your definition is probably the most technically accurate, it still leaves some room for confusion.

I say that if it is about anything important, you' better give me the actual date instead of relying on just "this" or "next".