Spanish Verbs of Becoming
Not all verbs translated as ‘to become’ mean the same thing.
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Spanish has no single verb that you can use to translate "to become." Your choice of verb typically will depend on the nature of change that occurs, such as whether it's sudden or involuntary.
Spanish also has a multitude of verbs that are used for specific types of change — for example, enloquecer often means "to become crazy" and deprimirse means "to become depressed."
Llegar a ser
Llegar a ser typically refers to change over a long period of time, often with effort. It is often translated as "to eventually become."
- Andrea Montenegro llegó a ser considerada una de las modelos más populares del país. (Andrea Montenegro came to be considered one of the country's most popular models.)
- Es inevitable que todos lleguemos a ser ancianos. (It's inevitable that all of us will become old.)
- No creo que llegue a ser un problema. (I don't believe it'll become a problem.)
- Lo más importante para que un niño llegue a ser bilingüe es hacer que su desarrollo del lenguaje sea una experiencia agradable y positiva. (The most important thing for a child in becoming bilingual is making language development a pleasant and positive experience.)
The reflexive form of the common verb poner , ponerse , is often used to refer to a change in emotion or mood, especially when the change is sudden or temporary. It can also be used to refer to changes in physical appearance and many other traits and can apply to inanimate objects as well as persons.
- Cuando llegó Antonio, su madre se puso feliz de tenerlo en casa. (When Antonio arrived, his mother became very happy to have him at home.)
- En aquel día me puse enfermo. (On that day I became sick.)
- Cuando el cielo se pone oscuro las mariposas dejan de volar. (When the sky becomes dark the butterflies quit flying.)
- No nos pongamos tristes. Se va a un lugar mejor. (Let's not become sad. He's going away to a better place.)
Another reflexive verb, hacerse , usually refers to deliberate or voluntary changes. It often refers to a change in identity or affiliation.
- Admite que se hizo escritor por desesperación. (He admits that he became a writer out of desperation.)
- ¿Cómo me hago miembro de Mensa? (How can I become a member of Mensa?)
- Vamos a hacernos millonarios. (We're going to become millionaires.)
- Mi padre nunca fue muy religioso, pero sé que se hizo ateo aquel día trágico. (My father was never very religious, but I know that he became an atheist on that dreadful day.)
Convertirse en
This verb phrase convertirse en typically means "to change into" or "to turn into." It typically suggests a major change. Although less common, transformarse en can be used in much the same way.
- Es el día que me convertí en mujer. (It is the day I became a woman.)
- Nos convertimos en lo que pensamos. (We become what we think.)
- Me convertí en una persona mucho más feliz. (I turned into a much happier person.)
- Nos transformamos en lo que queremos ser. (We turn ourselves into what we want to be.)
- En la metáfora, la oruga se transforma en mariposa. (In the metaphor, the caterpillar becomes a butterfly.)
Volverse typically suggests involuntary change and generally applies to people rather than inanimate objects.
- Los jugadores se volvieron locos. (The players went crazy.)
- Con el tiempo, me volví perezoso y terminé escribiendo. (With time, I became lazy and ended up writing.)
- Es la paradoja del ahorro: Si todos ahorramos, nos volveremos pobres. (It's the paradox of savings: If we all save, we will become poor.)
Pasar a ser
This phrase pasar a ser suggests change that occurs in the course of events. It is often translated as "to go on to be."
- Pasé a ser subordinada de él. (I came to be his subordinate.)
- Pasamos a ser nuestro peor enemigo. (We are becoming our own worst enemy.)
- Al mismo tiempo, Europa pasaba a ser el mayor inversor extranjero en Argentina y Chile. (At the same time, Europe came to be the biggest foreign investor in Argentina and Chile.)
Reflexive Verbs and Changes in Emotion
Many verbs that refer to having emotions can be used reflexively to refer to a person becoming someone with a particular emotional state. Reflexive verbs can refer to other kinds of changes as well:
- Me aburrí de la monotonía. (I got bored with the monotony.)
- El soldado se exasperó por la incapacidad de decisión de sus jefes de guerra. (The soldier became frustrated by the inability of the war chiefs to make a decision.)
- Me alegré al ver el hospital. (I became happy to see the hospital.)
- Casi se atragantó cuando vio los noticieros. (She almost became choked up when she saw the news.)
Nonreflexive Verbs Denoting Change
Many reflexive verbs denote change or becoming, but so do a smaller number of nonreflexive verbs:
- Milton enrojeció cuando la vio. (Milton turned red when he saw her.)
- Las ideas buenas escasearon. (Good ideas became scarce.)
- La situación empeoró con rapidez. (The situation quickly became worse.)
Key Takeaways
- Spanish uses a variety of verbs to translate "to become," the choice depending on what is changing and the nature of the change.
- Most of Spanish verbs of becoming are in the reflexive form.
- Spanish verbs exist for some highly specific types of change, such as enrojecer , to become red.
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Can 'Task' Be Used as a Verb?
No one likes tasks . This is unsurprising, given that the definitions we give for this noun include “a usually assigned piece of work often to be finished within a certain time,” “subjection to adverse criticism,” and “something hard or unpleasant that has to be done.” You will rarely hear someone speak of the “lovely task” they’ve just been given. But some are not content with disliking this word based on its semantic content, and have taken additional umbrage with its use as a verb.
Could have sworn there was something else we had to do...
It is uncertain exactly why this distaste for the transitive verb form of task has come about. Some possibilities are that it is seen as being new, that it is business jargon, or that it frequently is found used in the passive voice. Prohibitions against the verb are rarely found in usage and style guides, and when they are encountered few seem to take them very seriously.
task is not a verb. — Telegraph Style Book; The official guide to house style for The Daily Telegraph , (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/style-book/t/) Ronald Koeman tasked with resuscitating mediocre Dutch national team and own management career — (headline) The Daily Telegraph (London, Eng.), 22 Mar. 2018 A unit of US special forces tasked with carrying out “decapitation” operations may be aboard a nuclear-powered submarine docked in the South Korean port of Busan, the nation’s newswire reported on Monday, citing a defence source. — The Daily Telegraph (London, Eng.), 17 Oct. 2017 Pippa Grange, 47, is tasked with changing the culture and mindset of England teams, and increasing their “psychological resilience” to the pressure of winning critical matches.… — The Daily Telegraph (London, Eng.), 4 Jan. 2018
Task is not a new verb. In fact, it has been verbing along since the 14th century, used with the meaning of “to assign a task to.” It also has an obsolete sense of “to impose a tax on,” and an additional current meaning of “to oppress with great labor.” The word has shown an increase in use of late, particularly in business writing (a form of English many people take great dislike to), but getting tasked with something is commonly found in military use from at least the 1960s.
One consolidated handbook covering the subjects of welfare organizations, pay and allowances, allotments, travel, shipment of household effects, overseas duty stations, disabilitv separation, retirement, promotion, reenlistment benefits, medical care, survivors' benefits-and others-would answer the prayers of those tasked with these additional duties. — Leatherneck (Quantico, VA), Oct. 1963 The platoon is tasked to conduct a two-week platoon sweep between Hue and Danang with the objective of eliminating all enemy forces within the Hue-Danang axis, the bush country as well as Route One. — Marine Corps Gazette , May 1970 Responsibility for delivering the food to Yuma was tasked to Marine Aerial Refueler-Transport Squadron 252. — Leatherneck (Quantico, VA), Jul. 1971
This particular turn of phrase did not originate with the military, and may be seen on occasion in much earlier examples.
The establishment involved immense expenses, and responsibilities, and was tasked with the transmission not only of intelligence, but of immense amounts of exchanges. — Niles’ National Register (Baltimore, MD), 19 Dec. 1846 It was impossible for me to write a line all this week, as I was on every committee which was tasked with receiving and entertaining Benjamin Harrison, President of the United States. — The American Israelite (Cincinnati, OH), 7 May 1891
It is fine with us if you wish to avoid using the passive voice in your writing, and we also have no problem with you eschewing the use of task as a verb. But any decent peeve should have a solid foundation, and saying that task is not a verb is deficient in that regard. Perhaps you could go with the old standby of “I just hate that word.”
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task Definitions and Synonyms
The secretaries were tasked with organizing the data .
American definition and synonyms of task from the online English dictionary from Macmillan Education.
This is the American English definition of task . View British English definition of task .
Change your default dictionary to British English.
View the pronunciation for task .
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OTHER WORDS FOR task
Idioms about task, origin of task, synonym study for task, other words from task, words nearby task, words related to task, how to use task in a sentence.
They provide response playbooks, help assign task s to the correct team members, and help capture records of how and when your company took action.
The beauty of it all is that once your papers are organized, your space is cleaner and your task s are accomplished quicker.
A hashtag challenge is a unique TikTok’s content format where brands ask users to post a certain task using a specific hashtag.
Today’s technologies aren’t up to the task of deep decarbonization.
You can also right-click on the app and choose End task from there.
In 2011 LGBT media outlet Queerty took the app to task for allegedly deleting accounts that made reference to being trans.
Detectives with a fugitive task force caught up with Polanco and a friend on a Bronx street in the early afternoon.
Sabrine is a trained lawyer, likely a helpful quality when your task is to push politicians.
It was a complex task they were asked to do, and every cultural and experiential advantage would be required.
Before dying in 1219, Marshal would begin the task of rebuilding England after decades of war.
And it was no light task , then, for six hundred men to keep the peace on a thousand miles of frontier.
Will the new issues promptly retire when their special task is over?
He sighed as he laid the papers on the table; for he thought the task would be a harder one than even his own immolation.
Having accomplished his task within three months Datto Mandi withdrew with all his men, except two who wished to settle at Pardo.
Through the beautiful, windy autumn days, he labored at his difficult task , the task of telling a story.
British Dictionary definitions for task
Derived forms of task, word origin for task, other idioms and phrases with task.
see take to task.
- Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Meaning of task in English
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task noun ( WORK )
- act as something
- all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
- be at work idiom
- housekeeping
- in the line of duty idiom
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task noun ( SPEAK ANGRILY )
- admonishing
- admonishingly
- pick someone up on something
- pull someone up
- reproachful
- all-points bulletin
- call for someone
- importunate
- lay down the law idiom
- shove someone around
- stick out for something
task | Intermediate English
Task | business english, examples of task, collocations with task.
These are words often used in combination with task .
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Translations of task
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Word of the Day
to continue to live or exist, especially after coming close to dying or being destroyed or after being in a difficult or threatening situation
Watch your back! Idioms with the word ‘back’
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- task (WORK)
- task (SPEAK ANGRILY)
- take someone to task
- Intermediate Noun
- take sb/sth to task (over sth)
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- task (noun)
- task (verb)
- task force (noun)
- a daunting/difficult/impossible task
- complete/accomplish a task
- performing simple/routine tasks
- Our first/main task is to review the budget.
- This is not an easy task . = This is no easy task .
- I need to concentrate on the task at hand . [=the work I'm doing right now]
take (someone) to task
- The boss took me to task for wasting time.
- The boss used to give me all the hard tasks .
- The duty of the police is to protect the people.
- We all have to do our jobs .
- Taking out the garbage is a daily chore .
- She was tasked with proofreading the manuscript.
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English definition of Task-verb
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More results
- take someone to task
- an uphill struggle/battle/task etc
- be unequal to the task/job etc
- no mean feat/achievement/task etc
- no small degree/achievement/task etc
- have no stomach for a fight/task etc
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Task Definition
- undertaking
- entertainment
To charge , as with a fault .
- To reprimand or censure.
- to reprimand or scold someone
Other Word Forms of Task
Idioms, phrasal verbs related to task.
- take someone to task
Origin of Task
Middle English taske imposed work, tax from Old North French tasque from Vulgar Latin tasca alteration of taxa from Latin taxāre to feel, reproach, reckon tax
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Old Northern French tasque , variant of Old French tasche , from Medieval Latin tasca , alteration of taxa , from Latin taxāre (“censure, charge").
From Wiktionary
Task Sentence Examples
It's not an easy task to learn.
She almost laughed, feeling overwhelmed by her task and uneasy in the stranger's house.
He didn't feel up to the task , not when failure meant breaking the man he viewed as his brother.
Cade probably wouldn't be the least bit intimidated by the task , though.
Her lean body handled the strenuous task easily.
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Task is also mentioned in.
- beat the clock
- box of tricks
- heavy lifting
- Rhosts Mechanism
- get-down-to-business
- in-condition
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Words Starting With
Words ending with, unscrambles, words starting with t and ending with k, word length, words near task in the dictionary.
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Vivid verbs are descriptive action words that are so vibrant and dramatic that they help a reader or listener visualize the word, including “swoop,” “plunge,” “pierce,” “guffaw” and “crackle.” They tend to be more interesting and specific t...
Task interdependence sets rules and guidelines for the sharing of expertise, materials and information between members of an organization working on interdependent tasks.
Spanish has no single verb that you can use to translate “to become.” Your choice of verb typically will depend on the nature of change that occurs. Westend61 / Getty Images Spanish has no single verb that you can use to translate "to becom...
verb ; 1 · to assign a task to. employees tasked with updating the files ; 2 · to oppress with great labor. tasks his mind with petty details ; 3 · to
'Task' can be used as a verb, and has been used as a verb since the 14th century.
Definition of TASK (verb): give someone a particular responsibility.
take to task, to call to account; blame; censure: The teacher took them to task for not doing their homework. Origin of task. 1250–1300; Middle English (noun) <
task in American English · 1. a piece of work assigned to or demanded of a person · 2. any piece of work · 3. an undertaking involving labor or difficulty. verb
task noun (WORK) ... a piece of work to be done, especially one done regularly, unwillingly, or with difficulty: We usually ask interviewees to
take (someone) to task ; task / · verb ; tasks; tasked; tasking ; tasks; tasked; tasking.
Definition: Task-verb - with Gymglish, online personalized daily English lessons for all levels. Free test.
task ; tasktask2 AWL verb [transitive] ; to give someone the responsibility for doing somethingbe tasked with (doing) something We were tasked with completing the
See here, the meanings of the word task, as video and text.(Click show more below.)task (noun) A piece of work done as part of one's
Any piece of work. ... An undertaking involving labor or difficulty. ... A function to be performed; an