in two weeks/ weeks' or week's time? (2024)

K

kasik

New Member

polish

  • Apr 10, 2008
  • #1

hi there
can someone tell me what expression I should use

in two weeks/ weeks' or week's time?

Thank you

  • T

    Thomas Tompion

    Member Emeritus

    Southern England

    English - England

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #2

    The weeks are plural (there are two of them), so it should be in two weeks' time.

    sound shift

    Senior Member

    Derby (central England)

    English - England

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #3

    I agree with Thomas.

    K

    kasik

    New Member

    polish

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #4

    ok thank youin two weeks/ weeks' or week's time? (2) but I dont't undersand why the apostrophe is used
    In two weeks' timein two weeks/ weeks' or week's time? (3)

    G

    gremlin

    Member

    English only - Canada

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #5

    If you can believe it, the time belongs to the weeks.

    V

    vicky1027

    Senior Member

    usa english

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #7

    That's interesting. I was always under the impression that ... 's or ...s' translated to "is " (or are) Adding an "S" without an apostrophe makes it plural.

    I guess what I mean is, I would have thought in two weeks time" would have been correct.

    Vicky

    B

    Boston Dude

    Banned

    Love

    English of USA

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #8

    tigerduck said:

    Re: in two weeks/weeks' time/weeks time
    Thank you for your answers.

    Funny, in my book (Handbuch des englischen Sprachgebrauchs - it is mainly written in German) it says with a plural construction you can use it with or without the apostroph (examples from the book):

    In five minutes/minutes' time (days/days')

    In singular constructions the apostroph is necessary (again examples from the book):

    In a week's/month's/year's time

    Source

    The above is a quote from someone else's thread.

    G

    gremlin

    Member

    English only - Canada

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #9

    It is the possessive form of 's.
    The weeks hold the time.
    The time belonging to the two weeks.

    I'm not 100% positive, but I think that German text is wrong.

    M

    mgwls

    Senior Member

    Buenos Aires

    Spanish (Argentina)

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #10

    Perhaps what the text of the book really means is that you can say:

    In two weeks.

    or

    In two weeks' time.

    B

    Boston Dude

    Banned

    Love

    English of USA

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #11

    I just put that in to quote the other part. It is not my quote. It is that of another member.

    G

    gremlin

    Member

    English only - Canada

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #12

    mgwls said:

    Perhaps what the text of the book really means is that you can say:

    In two weeks.

    or

    In two weeks' time.

    Yes! Seems like the German text is not wrong, just a bit confusing.

    JamesM

    Senior Member

    Los Angeles, California

    English, USA

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #13

    vicky1027 said:

    That's interesting. I was always under the impression that ... 's or ...s' translated to "is " (or are) Adding an "S" without an apostrophe makes it plural.

    It wouldn't be "he's wasting Lindas time." It's "he's wasting Linda's time."

    The "'s" is a contraction of "is" in things like "it's, there's, he's".

    panjandrum

    Senior Member

    Belfast, Ireland

    English-Ireland (top end)

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #14

    If in doubt, check some reference sites.

    HERE for BE.

    HERE for AE.

    They agree - one week's time, two weeks' time.

    Both sources are listed in the sticky thread at the top of this forum.

    For more general discussion about apostrophes and possessives, please look up possessive in the WR dictionary.

    Last edited:

    T

    Thomas Tompion

    Member Emeritus

    Southern England

    English - England

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #15

    I thought we were being asked where the apostrophe went, not whether it was mandatory.

    I think we need to have it, because we say in one week's time - never in one week time. This means we need the possessive apostrophe for two weeks too - i.e. two weeks' time.

    P

    panike

    New Member

    French

    • Apr 10, 2008
    • #16

    the correct form is "in two weeks' time " because that's a possessive one. So, as far as I know, it's " s' ".
    concerning kasik's question I'd like to get an explanation for that if anyone can help

    SwissPete

    Senior Member

    94044 USA

    Français (CH), AE (California)

    • Apr 11, 2008
    • #17

    Fascinating discussion, but why even use the word time in the expression? Wouldn't in two weeks convey the meaning? Can week(s) be anything but time?

    B

    Boston Dude

    Banned

    Love

    English of USA

    • Apr 11, 2008
    • #18

    I see what you mean, SwissPete. But, adding the word time is very common. It kind of adds emphasis to the discussion. It is also something that we are more likely to hear in a professional setting as well. But, it is used very often in all topics of discussion. I guess it also depends on the person doing the talking.

    A

    _Ant

    New Member

    English - England

    • Jun 16, 2016
    • #19

    SwissPete said:

    Fascinating discussion, but why even use the word time in the expression? Wouldn't in two weeks convey the meaning? Can week(s) be anything but time?

    I realise this is a very old thread but had to respond...

    There is a world of difference. If I say "I will complete the task in 2 weeks" I could be saying that the task will take 2 weeks (and I could schedule it to be completed in a year's time). On the other hand if I say "I will complete the task in 2 weeks' time" the task itself may take only one hour, but I am committing to have it done two weeks from now. So the meanings are entirely different.

    Aerialdan

    New Member

    English

    • May 30, 2023
    • #20

    If I were to say, “I’m going to Ted’s house” I could also say, “I’m going to Ted’s.” Right?
    So does that mean I could also say, “I’ll do it in 2 weeks’ “ meaning, of course, that I’ll do it in 2 weeks’ time.

    You must log in or register to reply here.

    in two weeks/ weeks' or week's time? (2024)
    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Recommended Articles
    Article information

    Author: Melvina Ondricka

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5866

    Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

    Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Melvina Ondricka

    Birthday: 2000-12-23

    Address: Suite 382 139 Shaniqua Locks, Paulaborough, UT 90498

    Phone: +636383657021

    Job: Dynamic Government Specialist

    Hobby: Kite flying, Watching movies, Knitting, Model building, Reading, Wood carving, Paintball

    Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.