In Brazilian Portuguese, the verbsNo definition set for verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. ficar(to stay, to get), tornar-se(to become), virar(to become), deixar(to make), and transformar(to turn, to transform) are the most common ways to express “to become.” These verbs are called “verbs of becoming” or “verbs of change,” but they each describe slightly different degrees and types of changes. Take a look at the examples below to see three different ways of expressing “to become” in Brazilian Portuguese:
Mário e Valéria ficaram amigos na escola.
Mário and Valeria became friends at school.
Mário decidiu se tornar vegetariano.
Mário decided to become vegetarian.
O sonho de Mário é virar jogador de futebol profissional.
Mario's dream is to become a professional soccer player.
Did you notice that these three different verbs (ficar, tornar-se, and virar) are all translated with the same English verb, “become”? In Brazilian Portuguese, however, these verbs are not always interchangeable, so keep reading this post to embark on a journey to become an expert in Brazilian Portuguese verbs of becoming!
In Brazilian Portuguese, ficar is used to express “become” when we are talking about involuntary changes. Depending on the context, this verb can be translated into “to become,” “to be,” “to go,” or “to get.” Ficar can be followed by an adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and even by a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. Let's examine each case below!
We use ficar before an adjective or an adverb to describe a change in physical or emotional states. This is one of the most common uses of ficar.
Pedro ficou doente depois das férias.
Pedro got sick after the holidays.
Juliana ficou feliz com o carro novo.
Juliana became happy with the new car.
In both examples above, ficar marks an involuntary transition from one state to another, sometimes as a consequence of another event.
In the first sentence, Pedro did not choose to get sick, but he became sick after his holiday.
In the second example, Juliana became happy because she got a new car.
Ficar doente(to get sick) is a physical change, whereas ficar feliz(to become happy) is an emotional change, but both of them refer to a temporary change of state.
Ficar is not only used to refer to involuntary changes in people, but it can also be used to discuss changes in various things, places, ideas, or situations:
Essa rodovia sempre fica bloqueada por causa da neve.
This road always becomes blocked because of the snow.
In the example above, the road became blocked due to an external factor, as a consequence of the amount of snow. The change is temporary because when the snow melts, the road will no longer be blocked.
Although less common, ficar can also be followed by adverbs instead of adjectives:
Está ficando tarde, é melhor irmos embora.
It's getting late, we'd better go.
lit. It's becoming late, we'd better go.
In this example, ficando (the gerundNo definition set for gerundLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. form of ficar) combined with the adverb tarde(late)conveys the natural change or progression of time.
You can use ficar + com(with) before a noun to indicate that someone or something acquired a property or feeling:
Fiquei com fome durante a viagem.
I got hungry during the trip.
As crianças ficaram com medo dos trovões.
The children were afraid of thunder.
Ficar com is a very common expression used to mark a change related to an illness or a symptom, as in:
Eu fiquei com dor de cabeça depois do jantar.
I got a headache after dinner.
Pedro ficou com dor nas costas depois de dirigir por muitas horas.
Pedro got back pain after driving for many hours.
Vinicius ficou com febre durante a noite, e sua mãe o levou ao médico.
Vinicius got a fever during the night, and his mother took him to the doctor.
It's worth remembering that ficar in Brazilian Portuguese has multiple meanings and it can have various English translations. It's an interesting verb, and you can know more about this and other meanings of ficar in our post.
We use the verb tornar-se in Brazilian Portuguese to express “to become” when we are describing an intentional process of transformation or change. It typically refers to a deeper and gradual change that someone chooses to undergo.
Eu tornei-me professora após concluir minha graduação.
I became a teacher after completing my degree.
O projeto tornou-se um sucesso devido aos esforços da equipe.
The project became a success due to the team's efforts.
In both examples, tornar-se describes a voluntary change or transformation that occurred gradually. It usually implies a significant shift or development from one state to another, that demands time or effort, so it's commonly used to talk about a change in profession, status, personality, or circumstances. It's commonly related to a noun, but it can also be followed by an adjective, as long as it describes a deeper and gradual change.
O calor extremo tem se tornado comum no verão europeu.
Extreme heat has become common in the European summer.
As pessoas se tornam mais maduras ao longo da vida.
People become more mature throughout life.
In most of the cases, tornar-se(to become) is a reflexive verbNo definition set for reflexive verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., which means that it's accompanied by the reflexive pronouns me(myself), te(yourself), se(yourself, himself, herself, itself), and nos(ourselves). These reflexive pronouns are used to indicate that the person who causes the change-of-state (the subject) and the person who undergoes the change-of-state (the object) are the same.
Sometimes the non-reflexive form of the verb tornar(to make) can be used to express the idea of becoming. In this case, the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the verb and the objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the verb are different. Take a look at these examples:
As plantas tornaram a sala mais aconchegante.
The plants made the room cozier.
A tecnologia tornou a comunicação no mundo mais rápida.
Technology has made communication in the world faster.
Above, the subjects plantas(plants) and tecnologia(technology) are different from the objects sala(room) and comunicação(communication), so we don't need to use reflexive pronouns. However, we still want to use the verb tornar, because the changes described in these sentences are gradual and intentional.
Reflexive pronouns can come in different positions within the sentence:
Nós nos tornamos melhores amigos depois de trabalharmos juntos.
We became best friends after working together.
Aquela casa antiga tornou-se um ponto turístico da cidade.
That old house has become a tourist spot in the city.
In formal language, reflexive pronouns are placed after the verb, with the two connected by a hyphen (tornou-se). However, in everyday language, it's more common to place reflexive pronouns separate from and before the verb (nos tornamos).
If you want to know more about reflexive pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese, don't miss our post on this subject.
Both verbs ficar and tornar-se can express a change in Brazilian Portuguese and have a similar meaning. However, they are not interchangeable, and each of them have their specific usage and convey different nuances.
Carla ficou doente.
Carla got sick.
Carla tornou-se a bailarina mais famosa da companhia.
Carla became the most famous dancer in the company.
What's the difference in the sentences above?
Ficar describes a non-intentional and temporary condition resulting from an external factor, as Carla didn't intend to be sick. The change is more instantaneous and temporary.
Tornar-se refers to intentional or voluntary changes. The example implies that becoming a dancer was Carla's conscious decision and a process of transformation, indicating a significant and lasting change.
In addition, ficar is more often translated into “to get” in English, while tornar-se is more often translated to “to become.”
Although it is not very common, ficar and tornar-se can be used to convey the same process, as shown in the following two examples:
Bruno ficou famoso depois de escrever um livro infantil.
Bruno tornou-se famoso depois de escrever um livro infantil.
Bruno became famous after writing a children's book.
In the example above, ficar sounds very natural in Brazilian Portuguese, and it suggests that Bruno became famous accidentally as a result of his book. However, we can also use tornar-se to imply a more intentional change, implying that Bruno intentionally and gradually became famous, and put an effort into developing his profession. In addition, tornar-se adds a more formal tone to the sentence. See that, in this case, famoso(famous) is an adjective that can be used with both ficar and tornar-se.
As roupas ficaram desbotadas depois das lavagens.
As roupas tornaram-se desbotadas depois das lavagens.
The clothes faded after washing.
lit. The clothes became faded after washing.
Like the first example, the sentence above sounds natural with the verb ficar, as desbotadas(faded) conveys the idea of involuntary change. However, and although less common, tornar-se can be used instead of ficar to emphasize the gradual process of fading.
In Brazilian Portuguese, the verb virar has the same meaning as tornar-se, but we use it in less formal situations.
Eu e a Aline nos tornamos melhores amigas.
= Eu e a Aline viramos melhores amigas.
Aline and I became best friends.
Virar can be translated into English as “to turn” or “to become.” Like tornar-se, it focuses on the outcome, indicating a total change of nature or identity.
Nos contos de fadas, a abóbora virou uma carruagem.
In fairy tales, the pumpkin turned into a carriage.
Este galpão foi reformado e virou um mercado de frutas.
This shed was renovated and turned into a fruit market.
Notice that, unlike tornar-se, virar is not used as a reflexive verb, so it's not accompanied by reflexive pronouns.
However, virar can also function as a pronominal verbNo definition set for pronominal verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. virar-se(to turn around) that, in other contexts, is reflexive. The reflexive verb virar-se indicates the action of turning or facing a different direction.
Ela se virou para ver quem estava chamando.
She turned around to see who was calling.
In Brazilian Portuguese, the verb virar is often used in informal contexts in an exaggerated manner, as in:
A sala virou uma lagoa por causa da goteira.
The room turned into a pond because of the leak.
Above, virar is used metaphorically to emphasize the severity of the leak. The speaker is highlighting the excessive amount of water and the unexpectedness of the situation by saying that the room has turned into a lake because of the leak.
Roberto vai virar bicho se você usar a jaqueta nova dele sem avisar.
Roberto will turn into an animal if you wear his new jacket unannounced.
Roberto will go crazy if you wear his new jacket without telling him.
In this second example, virar is used to express a strong emotional reaction. The speaker is suggesting that if someone wears Roberto's new jacket without informing him, it will provoke an exaggerated and negative response from him (he will “turn into an animal”). The expression virar bicho implies that Roberto will become angry, upset, or behave irrationally, and it is used in very informal contexts.
We use deixar as a verb of change in Brazilian Portuguese when something causes or allows something else to change.
In this use, deixar can be translated as “to make,” but often the verb “to leave” is used instead because deixar is focused more on the end result than the process. However, this verb can have other translations as well.
Most importantly, only the direct object of deixar undergoes the change. The subject causes or allows the change to take place but does not change itself. Also, with this verb, the state the object changes into is depicted by an adjective.
O ar condicionado do escritório me deixou resfriada.
The air conditioning in the office made me cold.
As notícias nos deixaram preocupadas.
The news left us worried.
As flores deixaram o jardim mais bonito.
The flowers made the garden more beautiful.
The verb transformar in Brazilian Portuguese means “to transform” or “to turn” in English, and it is used to indicate that something is changing or converting into a different form or state. It's common to use the construction transformar-se em(to turn into), in which transformar-se is a reflexive verb.
O país transformou-se numa potência econômica.
The country transformed into an economic power.
Depois de viajar pelo mundo, ele se transformou em uma pessoa mais independente.
After traveling the world, he turned into a more independent person.
See that transformar-se conveys the idea of a significant and usually long-term change, resulting in a more impactful transformation. It can also be followed by a noun or pronoun when it's not reflexive transformar + noun/pronoun.
As novas construções transformaram a paisagem do lugar.
The new constructions transformed the landscape of the place.
Praticar ioga transformou minha vida.
Practicing yoga has transformed my life.
Sometimes the object can be followed by em(into) to show what the object became:
Ele irá transformar a sala em um escritório.
He will turn the room into an office.
In addition to the most common verbs of becoming described in this post, there are others that can also express a sense of change: converter-se, vir a ser, resultar, and alterar.
converter-se(to convert):
This verb is often used when someone undergoes a significant change in their beliefs or religious affiliation.
Ele converteu-se a uma nova religião.
He converted to a new religion.
vir a ser(to become):
Vir a ser is interchangeable with tornar-se, but it gives a more formal tone to the sentence.
Com dedicação e esforço, ele veio a ser um campeão olímpico.
With dedication and effort, he became an Olympic champion.
resultar(to result, to lead):
Resultar focuses on the outcome or consequence of a situation or action, and it describes the result or effect produced.
A falta de comunicação resultou em mal-entendidos.
The lack of communication resulted in misunderstandings.
alterar(to alter):
Alterar refers to making modifications, adjustments, or amendments to something, resulting in a different state, condition, or appearance.
Ele alterou o conteúdo do relatório.
He altered the content of the report.
In addition to the verbs above, sometimes Brazilian Portuguese uses a single, specific verb to translate a change or an experience. For example:
As crianças se alegraram com a chegada do verão.
The children rejoiced at the arrival of summer.
A economia do país melhorou nos últimos meses.
The country's economy has improved in recent months.
In the examples above, we could also use the verb tornar-se + adjective, as in tornar-se alegre(to become happy) and tornar-se melhor(to become better), but it's common to use a more specific verb instead of tornar-se + adjective. Many of these verbs have to do with emotional changes or changes of state or quality — check out our list of more examples like these and other verbs of change!
Verbs of becoming are used to describe a change, and, in this post, we talked about the main verbs of becoming in Brazilian Portuguese, including the differences between them.
The verb ficar is the most common verb of becoming in Brazilian Portuguese. It's mostly used in informal contexts, but it can also be used in more formal settings.
Ficar describes an involuntary change (and mostly those that are temporary).
Ficar is most commonly followed by adjectives related to physical and emotional states, as in:
Eu fiquei surpreso com as notícias.
I got surprised by the news.
It's also possible to use the structure ficar com + noun to refer to a change. In this case, ficar com is often used to talk about health changes, as in:
Eles ficaram com dor de cabeça.
They got a headache.
Tornar-se is also a verb of becoming, but, unlike ficar, it refers to a voluntary and usually long-lasting change, as in:
Ele se tornou um excelente professor.
He became an excellent teacher.
Deixar focuses on the result of something, and its object is the thing that changes, not the subject.
Virar is quite similar to tornar-se, but it's less formal sounding.
Ele virou um excelente professor.
He became an excellent teacher.
Transformar-se refers to a change or conversion of something into a different form or state, and it means "to transform" or "to turn" in English.
Brazilian Portuguese also includes other verbs that express change, but are less commonly used and appear in specific contexts, such as converter-se(to convert), vir a ser (to become), resultar(to result), and alterar(to alter).
Now practice what you know about verbs of becoming in Brazilian Portuguese with this activity. Happy learning!
