Use of ponerse

Question

Hi,i have some sentences to translate for my Spanish class this week using ponerse.One sentence is -your garden always gets very pretty when spring arrives,which i think translates as siempre su jardin se pone muy bonita cuando la primavera llegar.(please correct if it is wrong)My question is does this mean my garden puts itself pretty?i know translations are not literally but if can understand this one i should be ok for the others(i hope)

Hi, Gez. Please remember to use proper punctuation and capitalization in your posts. Thanks! - --Mariana--, Nov 15, 2010

bonito - llega - samdie, Nov 15, 2010

Answer 1

Yep, ponerse, volverse, and even hacerse can mean "to become" or "to turn" depending on context.

And, I think this translation would work a little bit better for what you're trying to say:

"Su jardin siempre se pone muy bonita cuando llega la primavera."

bonito - samdie, Nov 15, 2010

Oh right, good point! ;) - skygoneblue, Nov 15, 2010

Answer 2

According to lesson 3.14 ponerse can be used as the English equivalent of "to become" which can also be said as "gets." However it isn't as simple as just saying "ponerse means to become," as other things mean to become in different sutations. I've never heard it used for anything other than describing how human beings change. But since Spring is a temporary condition it is possible it would apply here.

Maybe volverse would be better? - skygoneblue, Nov 15, 2010