Learn Spanish (Latin America): El monje humilde llegó a ser santo. - The humble monk eventually became a saint.

The phrase llegar a ser is used to express a change that is the culmination of a long process, hard work, or a lot of time. It often translates to eventually became. It shows that becoming a saint was the final result of the monk's lifelong journey, not a sudden or rapid transformation.

The English translation says a saint, so why is there no un before santo?

In Spanish, when you state someone's profession, religion, or social status after verbs like ser or llegar a ser, you usually drop the word for a or an (un or una). The word santo is treated as a category or defining trait here, so we just say llegó a ser santo.

Could I say se convirtió en santo instead of llegó a ser santo?

Yes, but it changes the nuance slightly. The verb phrase convertirse en implies a radical, almost magical transformation. On the other hand, llegar a ser highlights the time, effort, and natural progression spent to finally reach that status, which makes more sense for a monk achieving sainthood.

Why is the verb llegar in the preterite tense (llegó) instead of the imperfect (llegaba)?