"Ten years has passed" or "Ten years have passed"? (2025)

Hello,

Previously I had the impression that a period of time is usually regarded as a singular or uncountable thing, so the verb followed is "-s" in most cases, eg. is/ has/ does/etc.

But recently, I find a question posted on the net for language learners whose answer only allows "have passed/elapsed" after "ten years", without "has passed" being listed as a possible answer.

So I wonder if "has passed" cannot follow "ten years"? Or is the answer given to the question not complete.

Thank you.

ilikeenglish said:

So I wonder if "has passed" cannot follow "ten years"? Or is the answer given to the question not complete.

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The noun "time" is not countable, but its units of measure are. You must use a plural form of the verb with days, years, months, etc.

Elisabetta

Hi. In this case we're talking about ten units of time (years), so the noun is plural.

On the other hand, 'a period of ten years' is a single unit.

I would definitely use a singular in "Ten days/weeks/months/years is a long time to wait."

If "ten years" really means "a period of ten years" then I'm happy with a singular: "After ten years has passed you can apply for possession of the land".

But if you want to emphasise the cycle of time, then "have" sounds better.
Ten years have passed - ten long, lonely years - since Bill died at sea.

If you want to emphasis the

Thank you all, esp. Bioche. Your example has reminded me of sth that I could not recall a few minutes before.

Though my puzzle has not been fully resolved, I know some usages concerning a period of time, know better about where to use "the third person singular verb form" or otherwise. Thank you.
But the rule still seems a little bit abitrary to me.

Brioche said:

I would definitely use a singular in "Ten days/weeks/months/years is a long time to wait."

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Excellent point that I had forgotten!

If "ten years" really means "a period of ten years" then I'm happy with a singular: "After ten years has passed you can apply for possession of the land".

Click to expand...

Hmmm... in this context, the singular verb continues to sound odd to me.

Elisabetta

"Ten years" can be either singular or plural, depending on what is meant:

"After ten years

passed you can apply for possession of the land." [a ten-year period]
"After ten years

passed you can apply for possession of the land."

"Ten years" as a plural seems a longer time (ten years passing, one by one) than "ten years" as a singular (a ten-year period).

To me "arduous" draws out the time, and makes "ten years" less workable as a singular:

"A

ten years

brought us to this point."
"An

ten years

passed."

"Ten years" by itself would not need an article since it has a number, but when modified (by "short" or "arduous"), it does need the "an". "An" in such a construction does not make it singular:

"A mere ten people

present for the ceremony."

I agree with Brioche and Forero: "ten years" can be singular, meaning "a period of ten years", and therefore used with a singular verb.

A google search on "years has passed"/"years have passed" suggests that the plural version is more common.