year

year — 名詞

  • yearsingular
  • yearsplural

1. a period of 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) beginning on January 1 and ending o

1.名詞A1
釋義

年；年度

從一月到十二月的十二個月期間

a period of 365 days (or 366 in a leap year) beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31, according to the Gregorian calendar. This is the standard unit used for dates, contracts, and official records.

例句

The year 2025 has 365 days and starts on a Wednesday.

2025 年有 365 天，從星期三開始。

Renata was born in the year 1999, on a hot day in July.

Renata 出生於 1999 年，那年七月天氣很熱。

in the year + number for dates

同義詞

文法句型

the year + number

in + year

for + number + years

用法筆記

When written as a number, the year is usually preceded by in, not on (❌ on 2025 ✅ in 2025). Year numbers before 1000 are often read as individual digits: 1066 → 'ten sixty-six'.

常見錯誤

❌on 2023
✅in 2023
💡use in with years, not on (on is for dates with day/month).
❌year 2000' without 'the
✅the year 2000
💡include the when saying the year 2000 as a phrase.

2. any 365-day span used by an organisation or field for planning and record-keepin

2.名詞A2
釋義

年度

為特定活動或用途計算的十二個月

any 365-day span used by an organisation or field for planning and record-keeping, starting and ending on a date the group chooses rather than on January 1.

例句

The financial year ends on March 31 for this company.

這家公司的會計年度在三月三十一日結束。

financial year — the 12-month accounting period for a business

Dario's team finished the season with a record of 20 wins this year.

Dario 的球隊本季以二十勝的紀錄結束這個賽季。

同義詞
  • fiscal year

    specifically about government or company accounting

  • tax year

    the 12-month period used for filing taxes

文法句型

financial year

tax year

academic year

year ending/starting + date

用法筆記

Common preceding words include financial, fiscal, tax, academic, school, and seasonal. The activity type often appears as a compound modifier: fiscal year, growing year, tournament year.

常見錯誤

❌The finance year starts in April.
✅The financial year starts in April.
💡the correct adjective is financial, not finance.

3. the months when a school, college, or university holds classes, usually running

3.名詞A2
釋義

學年

學校開課的期間，通常約九個月

the months when a school, college, or university holds classes, usually running from late summer to the following spring or summer and lasting about nine months.

例句

The school year in Taiwan usually begins in late August.

臺灣的學年通常在八月底開始。

school year — the teaching period at a school

Hiro's university has three terms in one academic year.

Hiro 就讀的大學一學年有三個學期。

同義詞
  • academic year

    the formal term for the teaching period at a university or school

  • school year

    used mainly for primary and secondary schools

文法句型

the + adjective + year

year + number

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 refers only to the teaching portion of a calendar year. In many countries the academic year spans parts of two calendar years (e.g., September 2024 to June 2025).

常見錯誤

❌ 'I'll graduate this academic year in December.' — if the academic year ends in June, December falls in the same calendar year but a different academic year. Check your school's calendar.

4. all the learners who begin studying at a school or university at the same time a

4.名詞B1
釋義

年級；屆

同年入學的學生群體

all the learners who begin studying at a school or university at the same time and advance through the curriculum together, forming a single cohort.

例句

The first-year students attended an orientation session this morning.

一年級學生今早參加了新生訓練。

first-year — students in their first year of study

Otis is in the same year as his cousin at university.

Otis 和他表弟在大學同一個年級。

同義詞
  • class

    more common in US English; also refers to the graduating group

  • cohort

    formal; used in research or institutional contexts

  • grade

    US English; refers to a specific level (e.g., tenth grade)

文法句型

the + ordinal + year

year + number

用法筆記

Common in British English; American English uses grade or class instead (e.g., 'she is in the tenth grade'). The ordinal number is often hyphenated when used as a compound adjective: first-year student, third-year course.

常見錯誤

❌He is in year one.
✅He is in his first year.
💡the possessive adjective his/her/my is usually needed.

❌ 'I'm a year 3 student.' (American context) — US English uses 'a third-year student' or 'a junior'.

5. a very long period of time, used in casual speech to emphasise that something ha

5.名詞A2
釋義

多年；很久

很長的一段時間（非正式用法）

a very long period of time, used in casual speech to emphasise that something has continued or not happened for many twelve-month cycles.

例句

Selim has not visited his hometown in years.

Selim 已經好多年沒回故鄉了。

in years — for a very long time (informal)

It has been years since Yael last saw her childhood friend.

Yael 已經好多年沒見到她兒時的朋友了。

同義詞
  • ages

    equally informal, British English; 'I haven't seen you in ages!'

  • a lifetime

    stronger; means many years or decades

反義詞

文法句型

for years

years ago

it's been years since…

用法筆記

This sense is almost always in the plural (years) and is informal. It typically appears in negative or emphatic statements (haven't done something in years, waited for years). The singular (a year) does not carry this meaning.

常見錯誤

❌I waited a year for the bus.' (sounds like exactly 12 months)
✅I waited years for the bus.
💡use the plural years to mean 'a very long time,' not an exact period.

6. a unit used for stating how old someone is or how long a living thing has existe

6.名詞A1
釋義

歲；年齡

用來表示人或生物活了多久的單位

a unit used for stating how old someone is or how long a living thing has existed; one year of age equals twelve months of life.

例句

Anna is ten years old and loves reading adventure stories.

Anna 十歲，很喜歡看冒險故事。

number + years old — standard structure for stating age

The old oak tree in the park is at least 200 years old.

公園裡那棵老橡樹至少有兩百年了。

同義詞
  • age

    the general concept; 'what is your age?' is more formal than 'how old are you?'

文法句型

number + years old

number + years of age

a person's years

用法筆記

After stating age, use years old (informal) or years of age (formal). The phrase years young is sometimes used playfully for older people but is not standard. In formal writing, a hyphen is used in compound adjectives: a ten-year-old child.

常見錯誤

❌She is 10 years.
✅She is 10 years old.' or 'She is 10 years of age.
💡years alone is incomplete for age; add old or of age.
❌He is a 10-years-old boy.
✅He is a 10-year-old boy.
💡the compound adjective uses year (singular) before a noun.

year — 名詞

1. used after an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.) to form a compound tha

1.名詞B1
釋義

年級生

用於序數後，指在學的某年級學生

used after an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.) to form a compound that describes a student at a particular level of study within a school, college, or university.

例句

The first-year students at this college live in shared dormitories.

這所學院的一年級學生住在共用宿舍。

first-year — compound adjective describing a student's level

A third-year medical student assisted with the surgery.

一名三年級醫學生協助了那場手術。

同義詞
  • grade

    US English; 'a ninth-grade student' instead of 'a first-year student' at high school

  • -class

    used in US colleges: 'a first-year student' can also be called 'a freshman'

文法句型

ordinal number + -year

number + -year + noun

用法筆記

The compound is always hyphenated when used adjectivally before a noun (a first-year student) but not when year stands alone as a noun (she is in her first year). In US English the equivalent often uses grade (ninth-grade student) or the class year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior).

常見錯誤

❌He is a first year student' (missing hyphen)
✅He is a first-year student
💡use a hyphen in the compound adjective before the noun.
❌She is a fourth-year.' (as a standalone noun)
✅She is a fourth-year student.
💡the compound is typically used before a noun.