پنج دقیقه مونده

Question

Which is correct & why?

Five minutes is left.

Five minutes are left.

Answer 1

I guess, if what is meant by the plural subject is one single idea, we need to go for a singular verb. In this particular case, the single idea of time is intended; therefore, I'd choose "Five minutes is left." However, I have my own doubts!

To avoid such tricky situations, I, for my part, use these instead:

We have 5 minutes left.

We have 5 minutes to go.

Comments

Thank you,

clear, helpful explanation

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https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/5-min-is-are-left-remaining.79156/

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/160898-there-is-are-5-minutes-left