I hope someone here can help me with a question that I have had for ages, but
can't find an answer to. When I ask my Japanese friends I just get a blank
look! In sentences where one is talking about elapsed time for example:

> 彼女に最後に会ってから１０年になります。 It is 10 years since I last saw her.

All the examples I find in the dictionary use になります、not なりました。The 'becoming 10
years' has already occurred, it is in the past, so why isn't it expressed
using the past tense? I find it particularly confusing, because if I used a
different verb to express the passing of time, then it would be past tense,
e.g.

> この前彼に会ってから５年がたちました。 It's been five years since I last saw him.

This maybe one of this things that I just have to accept as 'that is how
Japanese works', but if there is some sort of logical explanation, I would be
very glad to hear it. よろしくお願いします。
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2020-12-08T02:00:36.533
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question
grammar
Why になります and not になりました when referring to how much time has passed?
I think it is because it refers to this year or this day. If it refers to the
past year or day, it is 昨日で彼女に最後に会ってから１０年になりました.

As for この前彼に会ってから５年がたちました, it is the same, and 最後に is more natural. If it
refers to this day, both (今日で)最後に彼に会ってから５年がたちました and (今日で)最後に彼に会ってから５年がたちます
are used.
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2020-12-08T04:16:50.173
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「〇〇になります」and 「〇〇となります」are expressions used to describe the state of affairs.
It does not mean "it will become 〇〇".

In your own example, your english translation said:

> It is 10 years since I last saw her.

Why did you say "is" and not "was"?
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