Breakdown of El abuelo de mi novia se hace cada vez más frágil.
de
of
mi
my
el abuelo
the grandfather
la novia
the girlfriend
cada vez más
more and more / increasingly
hacerse
to become
frágil
fragile
Questions & Answers about El abuelo de mi novia se hace cada vez más frágil.
Why do we use se hace here for 'is becoming' instead of another change verb like se pone?
Hacerse is used for gradual, natural changes, especially those tied to getting older or passing time. Becoming fragile is a progressive physical change, which fits perfectly. Ponerse is usually for temporary, quick changes like becoming sick or turning red.
Literally translated, what does cada vez más mean?
It literally means 'each time more.' Spanish uses this set phrase to express 'increasingly' or 'more and more.' You will see it constantly before adjectives, like cada vez más grande (bigger and bigger) or cada vez más frágil.
The English translation says 'is becoming', so why doesn't the Spanish use the present continuous form (se está haciendo)?
While you absolutely can say se está haciendo, Spanish very often uses the simple present tense (se hace) for ongoing changes or processes. It sounds completely natural in Spanish to use the simple present here, whereas English almost always prefers the '-ing' form.
Since frágil doesn't end in -o or -a, how do we know if it is masculine or feminine?
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