towards/by the end of this week.

[Aamir Tariq]

If somebody says. "I am busy, I'll reply to your email towards the end of this week." Does he mean to say that he will reply to my email by the end of this week, or does it mean that he will reply to my email whenever it is convenient for him during the course of the week week but it is certain that I will get a response by the end of this week, whether it comes during the weekdays or on the last day of the week?

Regards,
Aamir the Global Citizen.

 

[emsr2d2]

For a start, if they write it like that, they will have used a comma splice! However, I realise that's irrelevant to your question. What "the week" is here is something only you and the writer know. If it's the "standard" working week (Monday to Friday), then I would expect to get a response on either Thursday or Friday, but I would certainly expect to get it by the end of the working day on Friday. If they're talking about a full week (usually seen as starting on Monday and ending on Sunday), then I would expect the reply on Saturday or Sunday (maybe Friday). You'd have to clarify with the writer if you're not sure what they consider to be "the end of this week".

 

[Skrej]

It of course would also depend somewhat on the countries in question. Emsr's comments apply to the view of the workweek/weekend in most of the world, but Israel and many Islamic countries in the Middle East and North Africa have a Friday-Saturday weekend due to different religious traditions.