Kilo Lingo

Ch 27 · Lesson 18

Quedarse and the one-word reflexives

, : the state an event leaves. And when a feeling has its own verb, use it: .

The short version

gives the state an event leaves

.

He went blind after the accident.
Why?

When a change is the result of something that happened, often a loss, Spanish uses : , . And when a feeling has its own reflexive verb, that is usually the natural choice: , , .

Quedarse: the state an event leaves

+ adjective is the state someone is left in after something happens, often a loss:

UseSpanishEnglish
an accident .He went blind after the accident.
a death .She was widowed very young.
news .I was taken aback.
leaving .The house was left empty.

One reflexive verb often does it all

ponerse, a passing stateWhat do the colours mean?

Many changes have their own reflexive verb, and then it is usually the natural choice:

VerbSpanishEnglish
.He/She got angry with me.
.I got tired of waiting.
.We got really bored.
.I was really glad.
Four faces: a girl grinning with sparkles and a heart (happy); a yawning boy with heavy eyelids under a moon (tired); a girl with a cold compress, a thermometer and a scarf (ill); a curly-haired boy frowning with steam puffing from his head (angry).
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

Most feelings have their own verb: se alegró (she was delighted), se cansó (he got tired), se enfadó (he got angry). For ill, ponerse is the everyday choice in Spain: se puso enferma (she fell ill).

Some pairs live side by side: is more everyday than entristeció, which sounds more literary.

Mistakes English speakers make

hacerse, effort or processconvertirse en, a transformationWhat do the colours mean?
WrongRightWhy
.a job is a noun: not
a .a transformation takes
. a keeps its a
.the state a loss leaves:

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 18 of 28 in this chapter

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What do the colours mean?