ponerse, hacerse, volverse, llegar a ser

Me puse contento

Spanish has plenty of verbs, that mean transformation of quality or state, like to become or to get. You should learn and know how to use six of them.

hacerse – to become

ponerse – to get

convertirse (en) – to turn (into)

llegar a ser – to come to be

volverse – to turn, to become

quedarse – to become

hacerse

hacerse – to become

Paco se hizo rico – Paco became rich

Argentina se hizo independiente en 1816 – Argentina became independent in 1816

Hacerse is used with stable characteristics, just like the verb ser. Stable characteristics are opposed to changeable states, and mean descriptions, that don’t tend to change too often, like the adjectives grande, alto, caro, rápido, famoso, etc.

The literal translation of hacerse is to make oneself. It’s a direct analogy to the English verb to become. Hacerse can be used not only with adjectives, also with nouns.

Ellos se hicieron amigos – They became friends

Mi papá se hizo el presidente de la compañía – My dad became the president of the company

Try it yourself:

The children have become big

Is it true, that you’ve become very famous?

Nicolas became very smart

After university my brother became a doctor

ponerse

ponerse – to get

Me puse alegre – I got happy

Ponerse is used with adjectives, which mean a changeable state. It’s just like the verb estar. States are usually binary descriptions, that tend to change quite often. These can be such adjectives, as tranquilo, nervioso, alegre, triste, contento, enfadado, enfermo, pálido, etc.

Yo estoy triste – I’m upset

Me pongo triste – I get upset

La cara de Manuel está roja – Manuel’s face is red

La cara de Manuel se puso roja – Manuel’s face turned red

Ponerse is equal to the English verb to get.

Try it yourself:

I get nervous at the exam

My friends got happy, when they saw me

When did you get sick?

Rafael’s wife got upset, when her husband went away

Hacerse and ponerse are two basic verbs, which can be used in many general situations. Let’s now take a look at some similar verbs, that have a more specific meaning.

convertirse

convertirse en – to turn into, to be transformed into

En medio siglo el pueblo se convirtió en una ciudad grande – In half a century the village was transformed into a big city

En este taller los coches se convierten en unas obras de arte – In this workshop cars turn into masterpieces

Convertirse literally means to be converted into something. It’s used only with nouns and is always followed by the en preposition.

Try it yourself:

After the revolution life in the country turned into chaos

In a month the milk in the fridge turned into sour cream

In the army the boys became men

llegar a ser

llegar a ser – to become, to come to be

Pepe llegó a ser gestor de marketing – Pepe came to be a marketing manager

Llegar a ser is almost like hacerse, but it means a positive change. It’s often used in a sense of becoming somebody after making some efforts.

On the other hand, it wouldn’t be correct to say Pepe llegó a ser un drogadicto (Pepe became a drug addict), because it’s not a positive change. The verbs hacerse or convertirse are more suitable in this case.

Pepe se hizo un drogadicto

Pepe se convirtió en un drogadicto

Try it yourself:

Tomas became a millionaire

It’s hard to become a good doctor

How have you come to be a famous writer?

volverse

volverse – to turn, to become

Volverse, on the contrary, has a slightly negative connotation. Volverse loco is the most common phrase with volverse.

volverse loco – to go crazy

¿Te has vuelto loco? – Have you gone crazy?

Manuel se volvió muy pesado – Manuel has become very annoying

Try it yourself:

The world is going crazy

They say, that I’ve become greedy

The children have become lazy

quedarse

quedarse – to become, to be left

Los clientes se quedaron satisfechos – The clients were left satisfied

Me quedé dormida y no fui a cenar – I fell asleep and didn’t go to dinner

The main meaning of quedarse is to stay. In combination with an adjective it can be translated as to become, or to be left.

Quite often quedarse means a physical transformation that occurred after some event.

Después del accidente Rodrigo se quedó ciego – After the accident Rodrigo was left blind

Tras una caída Luís Sánchez se quedó tetrapléjico – After a fall Luis was left tetraplegic

Elena estuvo tres años saliendo con Gabriel y se quedó embarazada – Elena was going out with Gabriel for three years and got pregnant

Try it yourself:

Beethoven was left deaf at 27 years old

I got scared, when I heard the news

All the verbs, mentioned above, are somehow intertwined with each other. Sometimes, to express one thought, more than one option can be suitable. Just keep in mind their main differences, and most importantly, try to put everything into practice.