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Hace dos años, el perro se volvió loco y agresivo.

Hace dos años, el perro se volvió loco y agresivo.
Two years ago, the dog became crazy and aggressive.
From Lesson 221:Deep character changes (volverse)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Hace dos años, el perro se volvió loco y agresivo.

Why do we use se volvió instead of se puso to say 'became' here?
The verb volverse is used for deep, lasting changes in a person's (or animal's) character or personality. If we used se puso, it would imply a temporary mood or physical state, like the dog just got angry for a short moment.
Why is there a se before volvió? Doesn't volver mean 'to return'?
Yes, on its own, volver means 'to return'. However, when we add the reflexive pronoun to make it volverse, the meaning completely changes to 'to become'. You need the se here to trigger that change in meaning.
Why is the verb in the preterite tense (se volvió) instead of the imperfect?
The preterite is used because the change is viewed as a single, completed shift in personality that started at a specific time in the past (hace dos años). If you used the imperfect (se volvía), it would mean the dog 'was becoming' or 'used to become' crazy repeatedly.
How does the word hace translate to 'ago' in hace dos años?
In Spanish, the formula for saying 'ago' is hace (which literally means 'it makes') followed by a period of time. It acts as a marker to show how much time has passed since the event occurred.

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