This is the 768th most frequent Latvian word.
gads
The Latvian word "gads" means "year" in English.
The word 'gads' here refers to the concept of a calendar year being described as wonderful.
Šis ir brīnišķīgs gads.
This is a wonderful year.
In this case, 'gadus' is the accusative plural of 'gads', used to denote the duration in years.
Viņš jau trīs gadus dzīvo ārzemēs.
He has been living abroad for three years.
Here, 'gadā' is the locative singular of 'gads', indicating a specific year when things changed.