become [bɪˈkʌm] became (past)become (participle:past)
verb:intransitive
1 (grow to be)
to become famous hacerse famoso; to become sad ponerse triste
to become ill ponerse enfermo; enfermar; to become old hacerse volverse viejo;or to become angry enfadarse; to become red ponerse rojo; enrojecerse; we became very worried empezamos a inquietarnos muchísimo; he became blind (se) quedó ciego; this is becoming difficult esto se está poniendo difícil; to become accustomed to sth acostumbrarse a algo; it became known that ... se supo que ...; llegó a saberse que ...; when he becomes 21 cuando cumpla los 21 años
2 (turn into) convertirse en; transformarse en
the building has become a cinema el edificio se ha convertido transformado en cine;or the gas becomes liquid el gas se convierte en líquido
3 (acquire position of) (through study) hacerse; (by promotion etc) llegar a ser
to become a doctor hacerse médico; to become professor llegar a ser catedrático; he became king in 1911 subió al trono en 1911; later this lady became his wife esta dama llegó a ser su esposa más tarde; to become a father convertirse en padre
verb:impersonal
what has become of him? ¿qué ha sido de él?; what will become of me? ¿qué será de mí?; whatever can have become of that book? ¿dónde estará ese libro?
verb:transitive
(look nice on) favorecer; sentar bien that thought does not become you ese pensamiento es indigno de ti
The translation of become/go/get depends on the context and the type of change involved and how it is regarded. Very often there is more than one possible translation, or even a special verb to translate get + adjective (e.g. get angry - enfadarse), but here are some general hints.
becomegogetgetget angryenfadarseBecome {etc} + adjectiveBecome {etc} + adjectiveUse ponerse to talk about temporary but normal changes:
ponerse I got quite ill Me puse muy malo;Me puse muy malo
He went pale Se puso blanco;Se puso blanco
You've got very brown Te has puesto muy moreno;Te has puesto muy moreno
He got very angry Se puso furioso;Se puso furioso
Use volverse to refer to sudden, longer-lasting and unpredictable changes, particularly those affecting the mind:
volverse He has become very impatient in the last few years Se ha vuelto muy impaciente estos últimos años;Se ha vuelto muy impaciente estos últimos años
She went mad Se volvió loca;Se volvió loca
Use quedar(se) especially when talking about changes that are permanent, involve deterioration and are due to external circumstances. Their onset may or may not be sudden:
quedar(se) He went blind (Se) quedó ciego;(Se) quedó ciego
Goya went deaf Goya (se) quedó sordo;Goya (se) quedó sordo
Quedar(se) is also used to talk about pregnancy:
Quedar(se) She became pregnant (Se) quedó embarazada;Sequedó embarazada
Use hacerse for states resulting from effort or from a gradual, cumulative process:
hacerse They became very famous Se hicieron muy famosos;Se hicieron muy famosos
The pain became unbearable El dolor se hizo insoportable;El dolor se hizo insoportable
Use llegar a ser to suggest reaching a peak:
llegar a ser The heat became stifling El calor llegó a ser agobiante;El calor llegó a ser agobiante
Become {etc} + nounBecome {etc} + nounUse hacerse for career goals and religious or political persuasions:
hacerse He became a lawyer Se hizo abogado;Se hizo abogado
I became a Catholic in 1990 Me hice católico en 1990;Me hice católico en 1990
He became a member of the Green Party Se hizo miembro del Partido Verde;Se hizo miembro del Partido Verde
Use llegar a + noun and llegar a ser + phrase for reaching a peak after a period of gradual change. This construction is often used to talk about professional accomplishments:
llegar allegar a ser If you don't make more effort, you'll never get to be a teacher Si no te esfuerzas más, no llegarás a profesor;Si no te esfuerzas más, no llegarás a profesor
Castelar became one of the most important politicians of his time Castelar llegó a ser uno de los políticos más importantes de su época;Castelar llegó a ser uno de los políticos más importantes de su época
Football became an obsession for him El fútbol llegó a ser una obsesión para él;El fútbol llegó a ser una obsesión para él
Use convertirse en for long-lasting changes in character, substance and kind which take place gradually:
convertirse en Those youngsters went on to become delinquents Aquellos jóvenes se convirtieron después en delincuentes;Aquellos jóvenes se convirtieron después en delincuentes
Over the years I have become a more tolerant person Con los años me he convertido en una persona más tolerante;Con los años me he convertido en una persona más tolerante
Water turns into steam El agua se convierte en vapor;El agua se convierte en vapor
Use quedar(se) + adjective to talk about changes, particularly when they are permanent, for the worse and due to external circumstances. Their onset may or may not be sudden:
quedar(se) She became a widow (Se) quedó viuda;Sequedó viuda
To translate have turned into have become {etc} + noun in emphatic phrases particularly about people, you can use estar hecho un(a) + noun:
have turned intoorhave becomeestar hecho un(a) Juan has become a really good pianist Juan está hecho todo un pianista
