Learn Spanish (Latin America): El aislarse en un retiro holístico puede llegar a ser estresante. - Isolating oneself in a holistic retreat can become stressful.

In Spanish, infinitives can act as nouns, much like the '-ing' form in English. Adding the masculine singular article el before the infinitive emphasizes its role as the subject of the sentence. While starting with just Aislarse is also grammatically correct, adding el makes it sound more like a specific, defined concept: the act of isolating oneself.

How does the attached pronoun se work with the el + infinitive structure?

The reflexive pronoun attaches directly to the end of the infinitive just as it normally would. The article el applies to the entire newly formed word. Even though it looks like a long combination, el aislarse functions perfectly as a single masculine noun phrase.

Why use llegar a ser instead of another verb for 'to become', like volverse or ponerse?

The phrase llegar a ser implies a change that happens over time or as a final result of a process, literally meaning 'to arrive to be'. Since a holistic retreat is meant to be relaxing, the sentence suggests that eventually the isolation can end up being stressful. Verbs like ponerse are used for sudden, temporary emotional changes, which does not fit the gradual realization meant here.

Why is the adjective estresante in the singular form?