volverse and ponerse

Question

I am working on lesson 3.14 - "To Become" with Ponerse, volverse, hacerse and convertirse en. I really just don't understand or see what the difference is between when you use ponerse and volverse. They both to me seem to be used with adjectives that describe emotion. Can someone please help me?

Answer 1

I found this:

Ponerse is followed by an adjective and indicates an involuntary physical or emotional change.

Me puse enfermo en Madrid. I got sick in Madrid.

Ana se pone roja cuando habla. Ana turns red when she talks.

Volverse is followed by an adjective and indicates a sudden, profound change.

¡Se volvió loco! He went crazy!

Julio se ha vuelto imposible. Julio has become impossible.

Hacerse and llegar a ser are followed by a noun or adjective and indicate a change brought about by effort.

Me hice médico. I became a doctor.

¿Es posible hacerse rico en los EEUU? ``Is it possible to get rich in the US?

¿Llegarás a ser abogado? ``Are you going to be a lawyer?

Llegó a ser muy popular.

Wouldn't going crazy be "an involuntary emotional change"? - danrivera, May 14, 2010

jejeje...you beat me to it :) - Izanoni1, May 14, 2010

Where do you find this privileged information? Hmmm. You have my vote. - nila45, May 14, 2010

Answer 2

Well, I think I can say something more.

You say "volverse" when the change is more lasting.

"Ella se volvió una persona tímida".

However, "ponerse" is less lasting.

"En aquel momento, se puso nervioso".

"Se puso enfermo".

Anyway, I think that Marianne's definition is perfect from my point of view.

Answer 3

La diferencia que aprendí sobre esas palabras fue que "ponerse" expresó el sentimiento o la emoción como "me pongo nervioso", "volverse" expresó las emociones más fuertes como enojo, triste, loco, etc "me volví loco" y "hacerse" expresó una estado de cambio como empleo/trabajo, crecimiento, etc "me hacía grande"

Espero que te haya contestado la pregunta. : )

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The difference that I learned about those words was that "ponerse" expressed feelings and emotions like "me pongo nervioso" (I'm nervous/I become nervous), "volverse" expressed the stronger emotions like anger, sadness, craziness, etc "me volví loco" (I became angry), and "hacerse" expressed a state of change like work, puberty, etc "me hacía grande" (I grew tall)

I hope that answered your question. : )

Answer 4

If I remember correctly, ponerse was more temporal and positive. Volverse is used for a more permanent status and those that are negative.

I am speaking from my memory of watching the lesson, though. - danrivera, May 14, 2010

Answer 5

Hi YogaMama. Here's another question about Lesson 3.14.

So is it a matter of just KNOWING what words to join (collocations)? - yogamamaof2, May 14, 2010

I'm confused by it, too. I'd like a native (or advanced speaker) to give us a list on which one to use with what emotions, etc. - --Mariana--, May 14, 2010

Answer 6

Anyway, do you know what is the difference between these two sentences? Je, je.

Se hizo médico (he became a doctor)

Se hizo el sordo (he pretended to be deaf).

I guess "el sordo" would be paired with "volverse" if it was saying "became deaf". So, being with "hacer" makes it an action... pretending to be. Am I right? - danrivera, May 14, 2010

It is not that way. He became deaf- él se volvió sordo. He pretended to be deaf- se hizo el sordo. He was pretending to be something that it was a lie. - nila45, May 14, 2010

But it is something temporal. In fact, he pretended to be deaf to take an advantage of this. - nila45, May 14, 2010

Example: yo sé que te estás haciendo el sordo porque no te interesa escucharlo. - nila45, May 14, 2010

I/he pretended not to have heard (o seen etc) - nila45, May 14, 2010

Answer 7

Already answered