Question 1

Why is quedarse used here instead of volverse or hacerse for 'gone bald'?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, quedarse is the go-to verb for changes that express a new, lasting physical state, especially those involving a loss or physical defect outside of the person's control. You use it for conditions like going bald (quedarse calvo), blind (quedarse ciego), or deaf (quedarse sordo). Hacerse would wrongly imply he made a voluntary effort to become bald, and volverse is usually reserved for deep, lasting changes in personality or behavior.

Question 2

Could I use ponerse to express that he 'got' bald?

Accepted Answer

No, ponerse is used for temporary physical or emotional changes, like getting sick (ponerse enfermo) or turning red (ponerse rojo). Since going bald is generally a permanent physical change, quedarse is the correct choice.

Question 3

Why is the pronoun se placed before había rather than attached to quedado?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the past perfect tense, which consists of the auxiliary verb haber and a past participle (quedado). In Spanish, you can never separate these two parts, and you cannot attach pronouns to a past participle. Therefore, the pronoun se must go immediately before the conjugated auxiliary verb había.

Question 4

Why doesn't the adverb ya translate directly to the English word order 'had already gone'?

Accepted Answer

In English, it is normal to put an adverb like 'already' right in the middle of a compound verb ('had already gone'). In Spanish, you cannot place any word between the pronoun (se), the auxiliary verb (había), and the participle (quedado). Because of this rule, ya must be placed before the entire verb block.

Él ya se había quedado calvo antes de la boda.

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