How to use verbs of becoming in Spanish?

In Spanish, there is not just one word for the verb “to become,” but rather a fun group of verbs that you get to choose from as the speaker, depending on how radical, quick, or long lasting the change might be.

The verbs that are considered verbs of becoming in Spanish are the following:

1. ponerse (meaning to get, to become)
2. quedarse (meaning to end up, to become)
3. volverse (meaning to go (+ adjective), to become)
4. hacerse (meaning to turn into, to become)
5. convertirse en (meaning to turn/change into, to become)
6. llegar a ser manage (meaning to become, to eventually become)

Verbs of becoming are used to express a change in the quality or state of a person, animal, or thing. The change can be momentary or lasting, and voluntary or involuntary depending on the verb utilized. One more thing to note: most of them use a reflexive pronoun!

Let’s delve into the world of verbs of becoming in Spanish!

Ponerse (meaning to get, to become) has a certain “closeness” to the verb estar (meaning to be). The change it implies is involuntary. Instead of expressing a quality, it implies a state. It is fleeting, passing. It refers to quicker changes in time, but those changes do not last long. Like estar, it is normally combined with adjectives that refer to health, mood, behavior, or physical appearance.

Ponerse is not always used as a verb of change, to learn the different uses of the verb poner(se), follow the link!

Quedarse (meaning to end up, to become) can be followed by adjectives or nouns preceded by a preposition. The change implied here is one that has happened as a consequence of other events. The change has been inflicted by other factors, and in many instances, they are negative changes, with the most obvious exception being quedarse embarazada (meaning to become pregnant). The change can be permanent or long-term, but it can also be a change of mood, state, condition, or emotional state and, therefore, not necessarily long-lasting.

1. Example of permanence:

   Después de cumplir 60 años, mi abuelo se quedó calvo. Usó un tupé el resto de su vida.

   Translation: After turning 60, my grandfather became bald. He wore a toupee for the rest of his life.

2. Example of change of state or mood:

   Cuando mis padres me dijeron que no podía ir a España de vacaciones, me quedé sin palabras.

   Translation: When my parents told me I could not go to Spain on vacation, I became speechless.

Volverse (meaning to go + adjective, to become) is also used with involuntary changes, but these are more long lasting than ponerse as well as more gradual, not sudden changes.
Volverse is used to talk about change in personality, attitude, character, or physical aspect of a person or, in some cases, an object. Volverse pairs up with adjectives that also pair with ser or with nouns — either on their own or preceded by an indefinite article (un, una, unos, unas).

Hacerse (meaning to turn into, to become) is a less “immediate” verb of change. In some cases, the change is gradual and implies the effort and active participation of the subject. It can show up with adjectives (those that pair with ser) and nouns that express profession/career/jobs. It can also be used for beliefs, religion, or political ideology.

When adjectives that signal qualities of a person, such as strong/weak, heavy/light, rich/poor, young/old, the verb hacerse implies a gradual change, sometimes slow, that may be involuntary or simply part of a natural process.

Hacerse is not always used as a verb of change, to learn the different uses of the verb hacer(se), follow the link!

Convertirse en (meaning to turn/change into, to become) conveys a completed and radical change that has taken place after a certain amount of time and after some effort. It is followed by a noun phrase.

• Convertirse en can be used to talk about a change of ideology and implies a voluntary action.

  David se convirtió en musulmán después de pasar seis meses sirviendo en los Cuerpos de Paz en el Medio Oriente.

  Translation: David became a muslim after spending six months serving in the Peace Corps in the Middle East.

Llegar a ser (meaning to manage to become, to eventually become) is used to convey the result of a slow process or change. It is usually related to a social change or to a person's goal or fame/status, however these changes aren’t necessarily voluntary. Similar to convertirse en, it can be followed by noun phrases, though it does not typically refer to an ideology or belief.

Asides from the verbs discussed above, there are other verbs in Spanish that can translate to “to become” or “to get.” A lot of these are derived from adjectives.

Here are some examples:

Check this list for more examples of Spanish verbs of change!

I am sure you have seen them in publicity, in subtitles within foreign films, in articles…verbs of becoming are everywhere in Spanish and they are used all the time by native speakers.

In Spanish, we can say “to become” in many different ways. To recap what we’ve discussed we prepared a handy summary for you.

As always, the more you practice, the more quickly you too can “become an expert in verbs of becoming” in Spanish!

In order to get you started in the journey of mastering verbs of becoming, I have included a practice for you here.