Kilo Lingo

Ch 27 · Lesson 17

Hacerse, convertirse en, llegar a ser: becoming something

, , a : the verbs that take a noun.

The short version

A noun after become rules out

.

He became a doctor.
Why?

takes an adjective, never a job, and is the wrong verb for a job too: is not Spanish. If a noun follows, your candidates are for effort or process, for a real transformation, and a for the top of a long climb. Never drop the after .

Hacerse: effort, process, jobs and beliefs

hacerse, effort or processWhat do the colours mean?

is a change you work towards, or one that time brings slowly. It takes an adjective or a noun, and it is the usual verb for jobs, religions and beliefs:

UseSpanishEnglish
a job .He became a doctor.
money .He got rich selling flats.
a belief budista .He became a Buddhist at thirty.
slowly .Little by little they became friends.
time .It's getting late.
Four people in their work clothes: a woman doctor with long hair and a bow, in a white coat with a stethoscope; a man teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie, pointing at a board and holding a book; a man cook with a moustache, in a chef's hat and apron, holding a frying pan with an egg; a man police officer with a moustache, in a blue uniform and cap.
  1. médica.
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

A job takes hacerse, with no article: se hizo médica (she became a doctor), se hizo profesor (he became a teacher), se hizo cocinero (he became a cook), se hizo policía (he became a police officer).

Convertirse en: a transformation

volverse, a lasting changeconvertirse en, a transformationWhat do the colours mean?

+ noun turns someone or something into a different thing. The is compulsory:

UseSpanishEnglish
fame .She became a star.
a place .The town has turned into a city.
nature .The water turned into ice.
a story .The prince turned into a frog.

goes with an adjective; for a noun, is the safe choice:

  • . - The city became dangerous.
  • . - The city became a danger.

Religious conversion takes a, not : islam. (He/She converted to Islam.)

Llegar a ser: getting there in the end

a + noun is "to get to be": the top of a long climb, often against the odds.

UseSpanishEnglish
a career .He went on to be president.
from nothing .He started as a waiter and became the owner.
never .He never became famous.

just says he qualified; puts the long climb and the arrival at the top in view.

Going further: The verbs of becoming on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

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Lesson 17 of 28 in this chapter

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What do the colours mean?