Spanish 6.6. Verbs of Change: “Ponerse,” “Volverse,” “Hacerse,” “Quedar,” “Convertirse en,” & “Llegar a”

Level I 1. Alphabet & Pronunciation 1.1. Syllable Stress 2. Similarities to English 2.1. Plural 2.2. Negation 2.3. Punctuation & Written Accents 3. Cardinal Numbers 4. Subject Personal Pronouns 5. Present Indicative Tense I 6. The Articles 7. Prepositions 8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives 9. Basic Phrases Level II 1. Gender of Nouns & Adjectives 2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs 3. The Verb “To Be”: “Ser” vs. “Estar” 4. Future Tense 5. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 6. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns 7. Object Personal Pronouns 7.1. Combining Direct & Indirect Object Personal Pronouns 8. Relative Pronouns 9. Ordinal Numbers I 10. Times & Seasons Level III 1. Verbs Like “Gustar” 2. “Por” vs. “Para” 3. The Verb “To Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conocer” 4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns 5. Present Progressive Tense 6. Present Perfect Tense 7. Special Uses of “Haber” & “Tener” 8. Telling Time & Describing Weather 9. Adverbs 9.1. The Adverbs “Tan,” “Solo,” “También,” “Tampoco,” “Vez,” & “Veces” 9.2. Other Adverbs & Adverbial Phrases 10. Directions Level IV 1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives 2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect 3. Conjunctions 4. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs 5. The Verb “Soler” 6. Time Expressions: Todavía, Aún, Ya, Hace, Acabar, & Desde 7. Present Subjunctive Tense I 8. Personal “a” 9. Future Perfect Tense Level V 1. Irregular Verbs in The Preterite 2. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands 3. Expressions of Pain & Illness 4. Simple Conditional Tense 5. Present Subjunctive Tense II 6. Perfect Subjunctive Tense 7. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense 8. Past & Conditional Progressive Tenses 9. Interjections Level VI 1. Ordinal Numbers II 2. “Would/Should/Could Have …” 3. Pluperfect Indicative Tense 4. Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense 5. Use of “Aunque,” “Si Bien,” and “A Pesar de” 6. Verbs of Change 7. Reflexive Passive, Impersonal, & Accidental “Se” 8. Diminutives & Augmentatives 9. Use of “Vos” in Some Spanish-Speaking Countries 10. Uses of “Ojalá” in Spanish
learn-romance-languages-at-the same-time-book-cover

Learn & Retain SP, PT, IT, & FR with Spaced Repetition

600+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
book-cover-learn-and-retain-spanish-with-spaced-repetition-5000-anki-notes-flashcards

Learn & Retain Spanish with Spaced Repetition

5,000+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
italiano-book-cover

Learn & Retain Italian with Spaced Repetition

700+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
ebook-cover-french-speaced-repetition

Learn & Retain French with Spaced Repetition

700+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now

The main verbs used to describe change in Spanish are: “ponerse,” “volverse,” “hacerse,” “quedar,” “convertirse en,” and “llegar a.”

In Spanish, selecting the proper verb to describe a change can be tricky. This depends on the nature of change in a state or emotion:

  • whether the change is temporary or permanent
  • whether the change is voluntary or involuntary
  • whether the change is sudden or the result of a process

1. “Ponerse

This verb describes temporary, involuntary, and sudden changes, especially in emotions, for example:

Se puso triste después de la muerte de su esposa.He became sad after the death of his wife.
Me pongo feliz cada vez que te veo.I become happy every time I see you.

2. “Volverse

This verb describes permanent, involuntary, and sudden changes. It usually describes changes into a negative state of mind, for example:

Se volvió loca cuando escuchó la noticia.She went crazy when she heard the news.
Se va a volver obsesivo a causa de eso.He’ll become obsessive because of this.

3. “Hacerse

This verb describes permanent and voluntary changes, regardless of whether the change is sudden or the result of a process. It is usually used to refer to change in religion, belief, or ideology, for example:

Esa famosa cantante se hizo musulmana.That famous singer became Muslim.
Se hizo socialista.He became a socialist.

4. “Quedar

This verb describes a change that is the result of a process or an accident, regardless of whether it is permanent or temporary and regardless of whether it is voluntary or involuntary, for example:

Quedó muy cansado después del partido.He got tired after the match.
Ella quedó embarazada.She got pregnant.
Él quedó paralítico a causa del accidente.He got paralyzed because of the accident.

5. “Convertirse en

This verb describes a change that is the result of a process that leads to an important change, regardless of whether it is permanent or temporary and regardless of whether it is voluntary or involuntary, for example:

Nueva York se convirtió en la capital financiera global.New York became the global financial capital.
Su proyecto se convertirá en un gran negocio.His project will become a large business.

6. “Llegar a

This verb describes a change that is the result of a process that involved an effort to achieve the goal, regardless of whether it is permanent or temporary and regardless of whether it is voluntary or involuntary, for example:

Messi llegó a ser el mejor jugador de fútbol.Messi became the best football player.
Este senador llegará a ser el presidente del país.This senator will become the president of the country.

Summary

The table below presents a summary of the verbs of change: “ponerse,” “volverse,” “hacerse,” “quedar,” “convertirse en,” and “llegar a.”

ponersetemporaryinvoluntarysuddenemotions
volversepermanentinvoluntarysuddennegative state of mind
hacersepermanentvoluntarybelief or ideology
quedarprocess or accident
convertirse enprocessimportant change
llegar aprocessinvolves effort

Quiz: Verbs of Change in Spanish

Spanish: Verbs of Change

1 / 6

1. Select the best translation from one of the six verbs of change in Spanish:

"ponerse", "volverse", "hacerse", "quedar", "convertirse en", and "llegar a".

 

This senator became the president of the country.

 

SP: Este senador ____ el presidente del país.

 

2 / 6

2. Select the best translation from one of the six verbs of change in Spanish:

"ponerse", "volverse", "hacerse", "quedar", "convertirse en", and "llegar a".

 

He became happy when he saw me.

 

SP: ____ feliz cuando me vio.

 

3 / 6

3. Select the best translation from one of the six verbs of change in Spanish:

"ponerse", "volverse", "hacerse", "quedar", "convertirse en", and "llegar a".

 

He became socialist.

 

SP: ____ socialista.

 

4 / 6

4. Select the best translation from one of the six verbs of change in Spanish:

"ponerse", "volverse", "hacerse", "quedar", "convertirse en", and "llegar a".

 

New York became the global financial capital.

 

SP: Nueva York ____  la capital financiera global.

 

5 / 6

5. Select the best translation from one of the six verbs of change in Spanish:

"ponerse", "volverse", "hacerse", "quedar", "convertirse en", and "llegar a".

 

She went crazy when she heard the news.

 

SP:  ____ loca cuando escuchó la noticia.

 

6 / 6

6. Select the best translation from one of the six verbs of change in Spanish:

"ponerse", "volverse", "hacerse", "quedar", "convertirse en", and "llegar a".

 

He got tired after the match.

 

SP: ____ muy cansado después del partido.

 

Your score is

The average score is 17%

0%

Thank you for taking the quiz!

Next: Reflexive Passive, Impersonal, & Accidental “Se”

Back to: Spanish Lessons

More lessons in Level VI: