I could say "I am leaving the day after tomorrow," but what if I want to reference the night before last night? Do I say, "I left the night before last night"? What do native speakers say both formally and informally in particular? I researched the question but could not find a clear definite answer, and I do not want to speculate.
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5note in many languages there are specific words for "day after tomorrow" or "day before yesterday", but not in English - don't seek them in vain.– SF.Commented Nov 15, 2013 at 10:06
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1You can also say: two nights ago. Or 3/4/... nights ago.– user33000Commented May 25, 2016 at 18:29
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2 Answers
The phrase the night before last night is exactly how I'd reference it, although, in many contexts – and that includes informal contexts – I'd typically leave off the second night:
I left the night before last.
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3It is also common to use the day of the week as a reference. For example, if today is Friday, I would say "I left Wednesday night". "The night before last" is usually good, but it can get confusing if you have this conversation very early in the morning/very late at night when "last night" starts to become ambiguous.– GrayCommented Nov 15, 2013 at 15:59
overmorrow and ereyesterday are the two related words that might be of interest, but they are not in (common) use anymore. Source: Wiktionary
As mentioned in snailboat's comment, do not use these words as they are obsolete.
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6I wouldn't recommend learners use either of these words, as they're not likely to be understood in most contexts. (Both words are obsolete, as Wiktionary notes.) They're great words, though!– user230Commented Nov 15, 2013 at 14:44
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Has English ever had words for one day farther than that, I mean "the day after overmorrow" and "the day before ereyesterday".– JuyaCommented Dec 16, 2018 at 6:31