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Today is Friday (10.2.2017)

I started my YouTube channel 24.1.2017 and uploaded 5 videos since then. I would say I had that channel for 2 two weeks, though it is going to be three after this one ends, I would not say three yet because it is not a full three.

Which is more correct to say today or yesterday (Thursday) if I wanted to mention all my 5 videos?

  • A. I have uploaded 5 videos in the last two weeks.

  • B. I have uploaded 5 videos in the last three weeks.

For me, A sounds more correct. I understand that although 24.1.2017 is more than 14 days from 10.2.2017 (17-18 days so almost three weeks), I would not say "in the last three weeks" because it is not a full three weeks yet. It would not fit with "these videos were uploaded two weeks ago". If I said in "the last three weeks", I would think some videos were uploaded 3 weeks ago.

Do I understand it like many people would? What do you think? What you would say?

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For me the text "in the last two weeks" means not more than two weeks. I might write "in just over two weeks" to indicate a small number of days more than two weeks but less than three weeks. For the purpose in the question I might write "I have uploaded 5 videos in just over two weeks". All the other forms I can think of take more words to qualify the "two weeks" to indicate a few days more than two weeks.

Using the text "in the last three weeks" means not more than three weeks and so matches the ideas wanted by the question.

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I think the correct sentence would be option B. Since you have uploaded a video more than 2 weeks ago, say 16 days ago, as on the day you are publishing this text, you can mention that "I have uploaded 5 videos in the last three weeks". As an analogy to support my view, you mentioned that "I would think some videos were uploaded 3 weeks ago", which is true. If its been, say, 16 days, since your first video upload, it also means that it has been more than 2 weeks, hence its been around 3 weeks.

This is my opinion. It can differ from person to person, because, anyone is free to view the period of more than 2 weeks but less than 3 as either 2 weeks or 3 weeks. There is no completely wrong view.

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  • I'm not arguing with your answer, because I think it's pretty sound. I just want to add one caveat: native speakers often use approximate time spans in sentences like these. So, if I say something like, "I haven't been to a movie in three months!" or, "My car has been in the shop for two weeks!" there's a good chance I didn't spend any time looking at a calendar and counting backwards to make sure I'll say the right numeric quantity. However, if accuracy is important (perhaps I'm publishing a company newsletter, e.g.), then what you say here pretty much describes how I'd do my counting.
    – J.R. ♦
    Feb 10, 2017 at 16:02
  • I agree with your point on approximation. Since the question was asked regarding description for videos published on YouTube, and judging by the details given by @Peter, I wrote the answer thus.
    – Nikhil Mehta
    Feb 10, 2017 at 17:32
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In my view "in" means "within" in this context. Therefore, logically, a more elaborate statement would be "I have uploaded five videos within (a span of) three weeks". This is shortened to "I have uploaded five videos in the last three weeks". Given the timeline and subject matter, one could say that your intent is conveyed reasonably or does not suggest dishonesty.

However, if you want to be more accurate and/or honest, you can say (as per answers given by others), "I have uploaded five videos in just over two weeks".

The intent in the latter version is communicating that the timeline is closer to the fourteen-day mark vs a twenty-one-day mark.

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