このあいだ points back to a recent occasion

このあいだ refers to a time in the recent past. It often means “the other day” or “last time,” especially when the speaker has one occasion in mind. It can also cover a short stretch of recent days. The expression does not name an exact date by itself; the conversation supplies the occasion or period.

You can place このあいだ before a past event: このあいだ、店に行きました, “I went to the shop the other day.” Add は when you make that recent occasion the topic, often in a follow-up such as このあいだは、ありがとう, “Thank you for the other day.” Add の before a noun: このあいだの話 is “the conversation from the other day.” It can also sit inside a longer noun description, as in このあいだ話していた道, “the route we were talking about the other day.”

Two nearby expressions overlap with it. この前 means a little while ago or the previous time. In many sentences about one recent event, either このあいだ or この前 is possible. この前 is especially transparent when the point is the previous occurrence, and it naturally appears in phrases such as この前の土曜日, “last Saturday” or “the previous Saturday.”

最近（さいきん） can identify a near-past point, but it also covers a broader period from a little while ago through the present. That makes 最近は useful for current patterns, repeated behavior, and situations that have been true lately. A practical first choice is このあいだ for a particular recent occasion and 最近 for an ongoing recent trend. This is not an absolute grammar rule, because the dictionary ranges overlap.

Mika follows up on Haru's recommendation

Mika sees her neighbor Haru beside the apartment bicycle rack. A few days earlier, Haru had recommended a repair shop. Mika begins by referring back to that shared conversation.

The particle は marks the recent occasion as the topic. Mika is not thanking Haru for the entire recent past. She is picking up one recognizable interaction and saying what she appreciates about it. This pattern is useful after someone helped you, hosted you, or gave you advice: このあいだは、ありがとうございました can reopen that shared occasion before you add details.

Haru asks whether Mika has already visited the shop.

Here このあいだ works adverbially before a completed past event. The exact day is not important, but Mika has one visit in mind. 行ってきた presents going there and coming back as one completed experience. In the same position, この前、仕事の帰りに行ってきたよ would also be natural; the words are close synonyms in this context.

Mika explains what changed after that visit.

The pattern is now このあいだの + noun. The noun 修理 identifies the event from that recent occasion. The particle で presents that repair as the means or cause of the result. Everyday conversation often uses this noun pattern to retrieve something already known: このあいだの店, このあいだの写真, and このあいだの話 can mean “the shop,” “the photo,” and “the conversation from the other day.”

One occasion leads to a current routine

With the bicycle working well, Mika has changed how she gets to the station.

This time 最近は is the better center. Mika is describing repeated behavior that began in the near past and is still current, not one ride on one day. 行ってる is the conversational contraction of 行っている. If she said このあいだ、自転車で駅まで行った, listeners would normally look for one recent ride or a short bounded period instead.

Haru asks how far Mika has gone so far. Mika names one particular outing by identifying the previous Saturday.

この前の土曜日 follows a dictionary-attested pattern for the previous or recent Saturday. Here 走る describes traveling on the bicycle, and 走ってきた includes returning. Mika could also name a recent Sunday with このあいだの日曜日, but この前 makes the “previous Saturday” organization especially clear.

Haru once mentioned a quieter route beside the river. Mika returns to that earlier conversation and makes a plan.

このあいだ modifies 話していた inside the longer phrase このあいだ話していた川沿いの道. The recent conversation helps identify which route Mika means. This is a common reason to use the expression: it lets speakers retrieve a person, place, suggestion, or problem from a recent shared occasion without repeating the date.

Both このあいだ and この間 are ordinary ways to write the expression taught here. This lesson uses kana so the reading stays visible. The fully kanji-heavy spelling 此の間 is marked rare in JMdict. Also note that この間 can be read このかん in a different use meaning “during this interval” or “in the meantime.” When reading, use the surrounding sentence to decide which word and sense is intended.

A quick test is to ask whether you could point to one recent occasion in the conversation. If yes, このあいだ is a strong choice. If you mean the previous meeting, attempt, or weekend, この前 may frame it clearly. If the statement summarizes a developing or repeated situation up to now, 最近 is often more natural.