「decade」主要指一段為期十年的時間，也用於指特定年代或十個一組的事物。
時間長度
EN: a period of ten years
翻譯: 十年的時間
特定年代
EN: a particular ten-year period, especially in history
翻譯: 特定的十年時期（尤指歷史上的年代）
十個一組
EN: a group or set of ten
翻譯: 十個一組的事物
小提醒：注意「decade」的發音，重音在第一音節 /ˈdɛkeɪd/，不要與「decayed」（腐爛的）混淆。
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Decade" from YouTube Videos
Geoff Ralston's Intro - Startup Investor School Day 1
Y Combinator
“startup investing has changed radically over the last decade and I think most of ex-us expect a lot more changes in the next decade as well, and in the end, we'll finish up with a conversation about the role that you all can and may want to play as you think about your role as an investor and what that means.”
1. a period of ten years
十年，十年期
The city's population grew rapidly over the past decade.
在過去的十年裡，這座城市的人口迅速增長。
She has been working at the same company for more than a decade.
她已經在同一家公司工作超過十年了。
Technological advancements in the last decade have changed how we communicate.
過去十年的科技進步改變了我們的溝通方式。
2. a group, set, or series of ten
十個一組；十個一套
The data is organized into decades for easier analysis.
這些數據被組織成十個一組，以便於分析。
A decade of sonnets was published in the collection.
這本詩集中發表了十首一組的十四行詩。
3. a division of the rosary consisting of ten Hail Marys
（玫瑰經念珠的）十顆珠子；十誦
She prayed a decade of the rosary every evening.
她每晚都會念一串玫瑰經的十誦。
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a decade of + noun | 一個…的十年 | The 1960s was a decade of great social change. (1960年代是一個社會巨變的十年。) |
| for/in/over + a decade | 長達十年；在十年間 | She has been the company's CEO for over a decade. (她擔任這家公司的執行長已超過十年。) |
| the past/next/coming decade | 過去/下一個/即將到來的十年 | We expect major technological advances in the coming decade. (我們預期在未來十年會有重大的科技進步。) |
| early/mid/late + decade | …年代早期/中期/晚期 | This fashion trend began in the early 1990s. (這種時尚潮流始於1990年代早期。) |
| the + decade + noun | …年代的事物 | The 80s music is still popular today. (80年代的音樂至今仍很受歡迎。) |
the first decade）或特定世紀（如 the 1990s）連用。in the 2010s）。對比範例： EN: The company's growth was steady throughout the last decade. 翻譯: 該公司的成長在過去十年間一直很穩定。
EN:Technological advancements have accelerated over the past few decades.
翻譯:科技進步在過去幾十年間加速發展。
EN:She lived in Tokyo for a decade after graduation.
翻譯:她畢業後在東京住了十年。
EN:This tradition has been passed down for decades.
翻譯:這個傳統已經流傳了好幾十年。
談論具體的某十年用 "decade"，泛指長時間或多個十年則用 "decades"。
decade vs century
「decade」指十年，「century」指一百年，兩者都是時間單位，但長度相差十倍。
decade vs year
「decade」是十年的集合，而「year」是單一年份，是構成 decade 的基本單位。
decade vs generation
「decade」是精確的十年期間，「generation」則指大約20-30年，且更強調社會或家庭中的同輩群體。
在對話中，人們常會用 "decade" 來引述或總結一段較長的時間，帶有回顧或感嘆的語氣。 EN: I can't believe it's been a decade since we graduated. 翻譯: 真不敢相信我們畢業已經十年了。
EN:Looking back on the past decade, so much has changed.
翻譯:回顧過去十年，真的改變了好多。
為了強調時間的長度，說話者可能會重複 "decade" 或使用誇張的語調，尤其在表達驚訝或不耐煩時。 EN: We've been arguing about this for a decade, let it go! 翻譯: 這件事我們都吵了「十年」了，算了吧！
EN:A whole decade of research went into this project.
翻譯:這個專案可是投入了整整十年的研究啊。
在組織思緒或尋找合適詞語時，"decade" 有時會與其他時間詞一起用作口語中的停頓填充，以延續對話。 EN: It was... maybe a decade, or even longer ago, when we first met. 翻譯: 那大概是…十年，甚至更久以前吧，我們第一次見面的時候。
EN:The trend lasted for, you know, a decade or so before it faded.
翻譯:那個潮流持續了，你知道的，大概十年左右才退燒。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式報告中，應避免上述口語化的強調或填充用法，建議直接、精確地使用 "ten years" 或 "a decade" 即可，無需添加感嘆語氣或冗言。
over the past decade
prep. + the past decade
在過去的十年裡
for decades
for + decades
數十年來
a decade ago
a decade + ago
十年前
the coming decade
the coming decade
未來十年
in the same decade
in the same decade
在同一個十年間
a lost decade
a lost decade
失落的十年
decade-long
decade-long + noun
長達十年的
×I have lived here for a decade.
✓I have lived here for a decade.
This is actually correct. A common mistake is thinking 'decade' is wrong here and trying to use 'ten years' instead. 'Decade' is perfectly natural in this context.
×The technology improved a lot in last decade.
✓The technology improved a lot in the last decade.
When referring to the most recent ten-year period, the definite article 'the' is required before 'last decade'.
×He spent over a decade to study this subject.
✓He spent over a decade studying this subject.
After the phrase 'spend time', the correct structure is 'spend + time + verb-ing', not 'to + verb'.
×This trend started a decades ago.
✓This trend started a decade ago.
'Decade' is a singular countable noun. 'A' is used with the singular form. 'Decades' is the plural form and does not take 'a'.
×The 1990 decade was a period of economic growth.
✓The 1990s (or the 1990s decade) was a period of economic growth.
When referring to a specific ten-year period like the 1990s, it's more natural to say 'the 1990s'. If you must use 'decade', it should follow the plural form (e.g., 'the 1990s decade'), though this is less common.
×We haven't seen each other in decade.
✓We haven't seen each other in a decade.
The indefinite article 'a' is required before the singular countable noun 'decade' in this context.