light year

光年

光が一年間に進む距離。星や銀河までの遠さを測る単位。

やさしい英語で： The distance that light travels in one year, used to measure how far away stars and galaxies are.

• That star is four light years away.
• Astronomers measure huge distances in light years.
• How many light years separate these two galaxies?

よく使う表現： one light year, a light year away

大きな隔たり、雲泥の差

二つのものの間にある、距離や質、進歩の程度の非常に大きな差。

やさしい英語で： A very large distance or difference, especially between how good or advanced two things are.

• Their team is light years ahead of ours.
• The new camera is light years better than my old one.
• Her first draft was light years away from the finished book.

使い方： light years ahead of someone/something (Their technology is light years ahead of ours.); light years away from something (This plan is light years away from what we need.)

よく使う表現： a light year ahead, a light year behind

長い年月、永遠

とても長い時間を、わざと大げさに表す言い方。

やさしい英語で： A very long period of time, used with deliberate exaggeration.

• That summer feels light years ago.
• A week in that job felt like a light year.
• By then, light years seemed to have passed since our last meeting.

類義語： age, eternity

よく使う表現： a light year ago, a light year later