41 Expressing changes
In English, transformations experienced by the subject are expressed in a number of
ways, which are not always interchangeable. Consider, for example, the following
sentences:Shebecame very sad after she heard the news.
Hegot furious at me.
Hewent mad.
The new waiter has turned lazy.
Shegrew very old.
Itstarted to rain.Spanish also uses different verbs to express ideas such as these. As in English,
these verbs are not always interchangeable, as you will see from the examples
below:41.1 Talking about temporary changes
41.1.1 Ponerse+ adjective
Changes regarded as temporary are normally expressed through the verb ponerse, ‘to
become’, ‘to get’, followed by an adjective. The transformations expressed by ponerse,
normally refer to changes in the subject’s mood or appearance. These may be sudden,
as in:Ella se puso muy triste.
She became very sad.Gonzalo se puso furioso conmigo.
Gonzalo got furious at me.or gradual, as in:Elena se puso muy gorda.
Elena became very fat.Los días se están poniendo calurosos.
The days are getting warm.Note that the idea expressed by ponerse+ adjective is closely linked to the one
conveyed by estar+ adjective, with the first emphasizing the transformation itself and
the second stressing the result of that transformation.