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El hombre solía ser famoso, pero se hizo ermitaño.

El hombre solía ser famoso, pero se hizo ermitaño.
The man used to be famous, but he became a hermit.
From Lesson 216:Verbs of change (hacerse, volverse)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El hombre solía ser famoso, pero se hizo ermitaño.

Why does this sentence use se hizo instead of se volvió for "became"?
The verb hacerse is used for changes that involve personal effort, conscious choices, or a change in profession, status, or ideology. Becoming a hermit (ermitaño) is seen as a deliberate lifestyle choice. If the change were sudden, involuntary, or purely psychological, you would use volverse.
Why is it just ermitaño and not un ermitaño?
When you use hacerse with a profession, religion, or lifestyle role, you usually drop the article (un or una). It works just like saying soy médico (I am a doctor) instead of soy un médico.
Why use solía ser instead of just the imperfect era for "used to be"?
Both solía ser and era can translate to "used to be." Using the verb soler in the imperfect tense (solía) strongly emphasizes that this was an ongoing state in the past that is no longer true today. It adds a bit more focus to the contrast between his past fame and his current life.
Why is solía in the imperfect tense but se hizo is in the preterite?
Solía describes a continuous background state that lasted for an undefined period of time in the past. Se hizo is in the preterite because the act of stepping away from society to become a hermit is viewed as a completed event or a specific turning point in his life's timeline.

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