Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 27

CEFR B1-B2

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Test yourself (25 questions)

How to Say 'Become' in Spanish: ponerse, volverse, hacerse

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Spanish has no single verb for "become". It picks one by the kind of change:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  • . - He went red. (it passes)
  • . - He went mad. (it lasts)
  • . - He became a doctor. (it took effort)

The verbs of becoming on one screen

ponerse, a passing statevolverse, a lasting changehacerse, effort or processconvertirse en, a transformationWhat do the colours mean?
VerbAfter itThe kind of change
adjectivesudden, passing
adjective, mostlydeep, lasting
adjective, nouneffort or process; jobs, beliefs
nouna transformation
a nounthe end of a long climb
adjectivethe state an event leaves
VerbSpanishEnglish
.He got nervous.
.He became very serious.
.She became a lawyer.
.She became a star.
a .He went on to be president.
.He was left alone.

Pick by the kind of change, never by the English word: "went red", "went mad" and "became a doctor" are three different verbs.

Ponerse: a sudden, passing change

ponerse, a passing stateWhat do the colours mean?

+ adjective is a mood, a colour or a physical state that comes on fast and passes:

UseSpanishEnglish
a blush .He went red.
nerves .I get nervous before an exam.
delight .She was really pleased with the present.
a command .Don't be sad.
the sun .You' got very tanned.

The adjective agrees with the person: (he), (she). never takes a noun such as a job: never " ".

Volverse: a deep, lasting change

ponerse, a passing statevolverse, a lasting changeWhat do the colours mean?

also takes an adjective, but the change sticks: it reshapes who someone is, usually without their choosing it.

A passing moodWho he is now
  1. Se puso serio.for a moment
  2. Se ha vuelto serio.and it has stuck
  3. Es serio.that is just him
UseSpanishEnglish
the mind .He went mad.
character .He has become very serious.
a place .The city has become dangerous.
over years .Over the years he grew more tolerant.

One adjective, two verbs, two meanings:

  • . - He/She got sad (and it will lift).
  • . - He/She has become a sad person.

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.

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:

What to do next

  1. Think of three changes in your own life and sort them: passing, lasting, effort or transformation.
  2. Do the sort and the story drill below.
  3. Then ser vs estar: the state leads to, the identity leads to.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/8

What kind of change is each one?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the verb for each gap.

Luis's career

Cuando vio la nota del examen, Luis se pálido. Pero estudió mucho y se médico. Con los años, su pueblo se en una gran ciudad, y Luis a ser director del hospital.

Gap 1 of 4

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the verb for the kind of change.

  1. Me nervioso antes de los exámenes. (a passing mood)

  2. Con los años se más tolerante. (a lasting change)

  3. Se abogada después de años de estudio.

  4. La casa se vacía cuando todos se fueron.

  5. No te conmigo, no fue culpa mía. (get angry)

Translation drill

0/4

Translate into English.

  1. Se puso rojo.

  2. Se volvió loco.

  3. Se hizo médico.

  4. El pueblo se convirtió en una gran ciudad.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'to become' in Spanish?
There is no single word: the verb depends on the kind of change. + adjective for a sudden, passing state: (he went red). + adjective for a lasting change of character: (he went mad). for effort, jobs and beliefs: (he became a doctor). + noun for a transformation: (she became a star).
What is the difference between and ?
Both take an adjective. is sudden and passes: (he turned serious, for a moment). is deep and lasting: (he has become a very serious person). If the person could be back to normal within the hour, use .
When do you use , and a ?
All three can take a noun. is a change you work towards, and the usual verb for jobs and beliefs: (she became a lawyer). is a transformation into something new: . a is getting there after a long climb: a (he went on to be president).
Can you say ' ' in Spanish?
No. takes an adjective, never a noun like a job, and is wrong too. Use ( ) or, for the top of a long career, a ( a ).
What does as a verb of becoming?
It gives the state that an event leaves someone in, often a loss: (he went blind after the accident), (she was widowed very young), (I was taken aback).