they were dark times vs it was dark times

The correct phrase is 'they were dark times.' In this context, 'times' is a plural noun, so the pronoun 'they' should be used to agree with it. 'It was dark times' would be incorrect because 'it' is singular and does not match the plural noun 'times.'

Last updated: March 21, 2024

they were dark times

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to describe a period of difficulty, sadness, or trouble. 'They' is used to refer to the plural noun 'times.'

Examples:

They were dark times for the country.
They were dark times in our history.
They were dark times for the family.

Show examples from the web [+]

Feb 23, 2016 ... Von Dutch Everything. Ebay. I'll admit it: I had a black velour Von Dutch hoodie once. They were dark times.
They were dark times. Until the Internet happened and Wikipedia was born! Along with podcasts, Buzzfeed and this persistant cat thing. We decided to smash ...
May 23, 2015 ... They were dark times, wrapped in rigid ideas of supposed spiritual light. Eventually, the time came when no amount of resistance was going to ...
May 16, 2013 ... They were dark times. Chicago fans will still probably contend that the horror lasted until the coming of Derrick Rose. With the NBA draft lottery ...

Alternatives:

It was a dark time
It was a difficult period
It was a challenging era
It was a tough phase
It was a sad time

it was dark times

This phrase is incorrect in English. 'It' is singular and does not agree with the plural noun 'times.'

Show examples from the web [+]

Hagrid: Shhh! It was dark times, Harry, dark times. Voldemort started to gather some followers, brought 'em over to the dark side. Anyone who stood up to him ...
Hagrid: Shhh! It was dark times, Harry, dark times. Voldemort started to gather some followers, brought 'em over to the dark side. Anyone who stood up to him ...
Aug 11, 2015 ... Hagrid: It was dark times, Harry, dark times. Voldemort started to gather some followers, brought 'em over to the dark side. Anyone that stood up ...
Hagrid: [frantically] Shh! It was dark times, Harry, dark times. [As Hagrid narrates, we see a flashback of a robed, hooded figure - Voldemort - breaking into ...

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they were dark times vs it was dark times