the last thing

[nekocat]

That's the last thing I want to do before I go home.


Can this sentence mean either (1) I don't want to do the thing. or (2) I may do it, but after the other things.?

 

[a51ts4]

It means they either want to do it after other things, or (sarcastically), dont want to do it, kind of like joking.

 

[JimmySeal]

Showing us a bit more from the passage would clue us into what he means by what he said. It could be many things.

 

[Geostigma]

Usually in common speech when someone says "That's the last thing I would do.." , it can be interpreted that they really, really do not want to do it. It can also mean your (2) sentence, but if that is the meaning, there's just better ways to say it and would still kind of imply that they don't want to do it.

Ex. "I'm going to do this last before going home." - This would be a much better and common way to say (2).

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Other variations include 'last thing I'd do', 'last thing I'm going to do', 'last thing I'd ever do', or a combination such as 'last thing I'd ever want to do'.

If you see a phrase that includes 'ever' with 'do' that usually holds the meaning of 'I dont want to do this thing', while the other above examples without 'ever' could also mean 'I will do this thing, but last'.

 

[Sarapva]

Ironically, the phrase "....if it's the last thing I do" means that the person really wants to do whatever it is, and will do it even if it means waiting until his death (making it the last thing he does).

The sentence "That's the last thing I want to do before I go home" could mean either that the person doesn't want to do whatever it is (usually with an emphasis on "last"), or that he's simply saying that it will be the last thing he does before going home.

 

[JimmySeal]

Ironically, the phrase "....if it's the last thing I do" means that the person really wants to do whatever it is, and will do it even if it means waiting until his death (making it the last thing he does).

Or that he's willing to die doing it. I can remember Shredder saying all the time, "I'll get you turtles, if it's the last thing I do." This expression always irked me because it would make a lot more sense phrased as "even if it's the last thing I do."

 

[nekocat]

よくわかりましたー！とってもためになりました！感謝します！