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Which one is more common, more idiomatic?

Example:

My brother's exams would end next week, so we decided to take the trip on the one after.

My brother's exams would end next week, so we decided to take the trip on the one that followed.

(I'm also open to better suggestions.)

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  • Not related to the question, but instead of ended I'd prefer would end/would have ended or even were ending/were to end
    – blgt
    Commented Mar 18, 2015 at 9:53
  • To begin with, I am wondering why you use the past tense ended with next week. Should it not be will end next week? I think to be succinct you need to repeat the word week. Try My brother's exams will end next week, so we decided to take the trip the week following. It is inelegant to use a word twice in the same sentence, but for clarity's sake here I think you need to.
    – WS2
    Commented Mar 18, 2015 at 9:54
  • Thanks I didn't notice that. Updated the question.
    – wyc
    Commented Mar 18, 2015 at 10:01
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    @WS2 Or even more simply, just end. “My brother’s exams end next week, so we(’ve) decided to take the trip the week after that” is how I would naturally phrase it. (Whether to use we decided or we’ve decided depends on the bigger context of the conversation, but I doubt either would really sound very off in any context.)
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Commented Mar 18, 2015 at 10:08

1 Answer 1

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My brother's exams end next week, so we decided to take the trip the week after.

Reasoning: You don't need to say "would end next week", it can be shortened to "end next week". As for the week after that, "the week after" is commonly used, for example, "week after next", which indicates two weeks from now (the week after next week), etc.

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