Breakdown of Sin embargo, el gerente se convirtió en el ejemplo perfecto.
perfecto
perfect
el gerente
the manager
sin embargo
however
convertirse en
to become
Questions & Answers about Sin embargo, el gerente se convirtió en el ejemplo perfecto.
Why do we use se convirtió en instead of another verb for 'to become' like se hizo?
In Spanish, convertirse en is used for a profound transformation where the subject turns into a completely different noun. Because the manager is turning into a noun (el ejemplo perfecto), we use se convirtió en. Other verbs of becoming work differently: ponerse is for temporary emotional or physical states, and hacerse is typically for voluntary changes in profession, religion, or ideology.
Does the verb convertirse always need the preposition en?
Yes, when you are stating what the person or thing changed into, you must use convertirse en. You cannot skip the preposition. Saying se convirtió el ejemplo perfecto without the en is grammatically incorrect in Spanish.
The infinitive is convertirse, so why is it spelled convirtió with an 'i' in this sentence?
Convertirse is an -ir verb that has a stem change in the present tense (e to ie). A helpful rule for B2 learners to remember is that -ir verbs with a present-tense stem change also have a one-letter stem change in the third-person preterite (past tense). The 'e' changes to 'i', giving us se convirtió instead of the incorrect se convertió.
Could I just use the English loanword mánager instead of gerente?