Became: ponerse, quedarse, volverse, hacerse
English 'became' fits every case: became pale, became deaf, became a doctor. Spanish has no single verb for it, but four, and you pick by the kind of change. For example: “Se puso enfermo el día antes del viaje” — He fell ill the day before the trip. A rule from the Spanish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English 'became' fits every case: became pale, became deaf, became a doctor. Spanish has no single verb for it, but four, and you pick by the kind of change.
Ponerse is a fast change that will pass: ponerse enfermo is to fall ill, ponerse rojo to blush. It always takes an adjective, never a noun.
Quedarse is a change that stayed: quedarse sordo is to go deaf, quedarse dormido to fall asleep. Se puso enfermo will get better; se quedó cojo did not.
Volverse is a change of character, usually for the worse: se ha vuelto muy desconfiado. Hacerse is a change you worked for: hacerse médico, hacerse rico. Only hacerse takes a profession.
Table
| verb | what kind of change | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ponerse | fast, will pass | ponerse enfermo | to fall ill |
| ponerse | the same | ponerse nervioso | to get nervous |
| quedarse | stays for good | quedarse sordo | to go deaf |
| quedarse | the same | quedarse dormido | to fall asleep |
| volverse | character, for the worse | volverse desconfiado | to become distrustful |
| hacerse | by one's own effort | hacerse médico | to become a doctor |
| llegar a ser | a long road | llegar a ser director | to work one's way up to director |
By example
- Se puso enfermo el día antes del viajeHe fell ill the day before the trip
- Después de la operación se quedó sin voz una semanaAfter the operation he was without a voice for a week
- Con los años se ha vuelto muy desconfiadoOver the years he has grown very distrustful
- Se hizo enfermera a los cuarentaShe became a nurse at forty
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Became: how does it work in Spanish?
English 'became' fits every case: became pale, became deaf, became a doctor. Spanish has no single verb for it, but four, and you pick by the kind of change.
What does it look like in an example sentence Spanish?
“Se puso enfermo el día antes del viaje” — He fell ill the day before the trip. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.