ELONIO
Log inSign up

Admiramos cómo esa mujer ordinaria llegó a ser una figura famosa.

Admiramos cómo esa mujer ordinaria llegó a ser una figura famosa.
We admire how that ordinary woman became a famous figure.
From Lesson 218:Culminating changes (llegar a ser)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Admiramos cómo esa mujer ordinaria llegó a ser una figura famosa.

Why do we use llegó a ser here to mean "became"?
Llegar a ser is used for a change that takes a long time, a lot of effort, or represents the culmination of a process. Since she went from an ordinary woman to a famous figure, this didn't happen overnight! It emphasizes the long journey and the final achievement.
Could I use se convirtió en or se hizo instead of llegó a ser?
Yes, both could work, but they change the nuance slightly. Se convirtió en states a radical transformation, while se hizo is good for deliberate changes in profession or status. However, llegó a ser is the best choice here because it specifically highlights the effort and time it took to reach that endpoint.
Why does cómo have an accent mark if this isn't a question?
Question words like cómo, qué, and dónde keep their accent marks when they are used in indirect questions. Here, "how that ordinary woman became..." is an indirect way of addressing the question "How did she do it?", so cómo keeps its accent.
Is Admiramos in the present or the past tense?
It is in the present tense ("We admire"). However, for regular -ar verbs like admirar, the nosotros form is exactly the same in both the present and the preterite (simple past) tense. You have to rely on context to know if it means "We admire" or "We admired."
I've heard that ordinaria can be an insult in Spanish. Is it okay to use it here?
Yes, it depends on the context. While ordinaria can mean "vulgar" or "rude" when describing someone's manners, it also translates directly to "average" or "common." In this sentence, contrasting it with famosa makes it clear we mean "ordinary." If you want to be completely safe in your own speaking, you can use común.

Learn Admiramos cómo esa mujer ordinaria llegó a ser una figura famosa and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →