Les jours derniers vs. Les derniers jours

Question

I'm confused about the difference between "les jours derniers" vs. "les derniers jours".
In the lesson, "les jours derniers" is translated as "these last days" while "les derniers jours" is translated as "these past few days." I'm having a hard time seeing the distinction.

Accepted Answer

Bonjour Nhu,
Take a look at the following examples:
Les derniers jours de l'été approchent. = The last (i.e. final) days of summer are coming.
Les jours derniers, j'ai beaucoup travaillé. = The last (i.e previous) days, I worked a lot.
Attention: to express "these last few days", you will use "ces derniers jours" (i.e. these latest days)
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Bonjour Eliza,The tendency is that the adjective meaning before the noun is that of being abstract, whereas after the noun that of a more concrete / descriptive nature. https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjective-position/Bonne journéeJim

Answer

To make the distinction more palpable, here is how you can think of it:

les dermiers jours -- these final days, i.e., the final days of a vacation
les jours derniers -- these recent days, i.e., the last days that have past (more will follow)