this evening

Hello,

here's a note (an invitation) and its reply (taken from The New Cambridge English Course 1, students' book, p. 87):

(The invitation)

Hi Carlos,

Why don't we go and see 'Rock, rock, rock of ages' tomorrow evening? Let's meet at the station at 6.55. OK?

Yours, Annie

(The reply)

Dear Annie,

Sorry. I can't go this evening. Perhaps another day?

Yours, Carlos

My students had a problem with this evening saying that this evening means '*today evening', i.e. 'tonight'. I said that it means here the evening you mentioned (i.e. tomorrow evening) Is my explanation correct?

TIA

Stefan

So there is either a mistake in the book or Carlos wrote his reply the day after Annie wrote her invitation???

By the way, Inchoateknowledge, are you German? Deine Unterschrift lässt darauf schließen.

S.

If Carlos wrote it Monday, he meant the performance was Tuesday. If Anne wrote back Tuesday, the performance would be "this" evening from her perspective. But if you assume it's an e-mail exchange and both took place on the same day, then "that evening" (as Nona said) is correct.

Thanks to all contributors. It seems here that Annie wrote here note one day later.

Philip, you wrote:

"Bir lisan bir insan, iki lisan iki insan.   I learned it to be 'bir dil bir kişi, iki dil iki kişi.'"

The phrase that you learned is a paraphrase, so there is no real difference in meaning.

Best wishes,

Stefan