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Sin embargo, la reunión se transformó en un infierno ayer.

Sin embargo, la reunión se transformó en un infierno ayer.
However, the meeting transformed into hell yesterday.
From Lesson 308:Profound changes (convertirse en, transformarse en)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Sin embargo, la reunión se transformó en un infierno ayer.

Why do we need the reflexive pronoun se in se transformó en?
In this sentence, the meeting isn't transforming something else; it is undergoing the change itself. We use the reflexive transformarse (and convertirse) when the subject is the one experiencing the profound change into a new noun.
Could we use se puso instead of se transformó en here?
No, because ponerse is used for temporary physical or emotional changes and is followed by an adjective. Since un infierno is a noun and represents a radical, fundamental shift in the meeting's nature, se transformó en or se convirtió en is the right choice.
Why is the preposition en used to mean 'into'? Could I say a un infierno?
When using verbs of profound transformation like transformarse and convertirse before a noun, you must use en to translate 'into'. Using a in this structure is a common mistake for English speakers, but en is grammatically required here.
The English translation just says 'into hell.' Why does the Spanish include the article un (en un infierno)?
When Spanish uses nouns metaphorically to describe what someone or something has turned into, it typically requires the indefinite article (un or una). Just like in English you might say 'it turned into a nightmare,' Spanish treats un infierno as a figurative, countable experience.

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