devenu
In French, 'became' is translated as devenu.
devenu is used to describe a change in state or condition.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the passé composé, the past participle devenu is used with the auxiliary verb être. Because it uses être, the form must agree with the subject in gender and number. Use devenu for masculine singular subjects, devenue for feminine singular subjects, devenus for masculine plural subjects and devenues for feminine plural subjects.
Did you know?
- In French, you cannot use devenu to describe becoming 'pregnant'. Instead, speakers use the phrase être tombée enceinte, which literally means 'to have fallen pregnant'.
- The root of devenu is the verb venir meaning 'to come'. Literally, to become something in French is to 'come to be' that thing.
- If a person 'becomes' crazy, French can use devenir fou or perdre la raison, which means 'to lose one's reason', framing the change as a loss rather than a transition.
Examples in context
- Ziri est devenu DJ.Ziri became a disc jockey.This sentence shows how to use devenu to describe a career change.Tatoeba #11764100 by Amastan, translation #10209931 by Amastan
- Il est devenu riche.He became rich.This sentence shows how to use devenu to describe a change in wealth.Tatoeba #15415 by sacredceltic, translation #18526 by CN
- Il est devenu marin.He became a sailor.This sentence shows how to use devenu to describe a change in profession.Tatoeba #135708 by Aiji, translation #300698 by CK
- Elle est devenue présidente de l'entreprise.She became the president of the company.
- Le garçon est devenu un homme remarquable.The boy became an outstanding man.
- Le prince s'est changé en grenouille.The prince became a frog.
- Il est devenu super fort au tennis.He became really good at tennis.
- 378 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking about a mutual friend's career change.
- NathanTu as vu Marc ? Il est devenu avocat.Have you seen Marc? He became a lawyer.
- ChloéC'est vrai ? C'est une grande surprise !Really? That is a big surprise!
- NathanOui, il est devenu très sérieux avec son travail.Yes, he became very serious about his work.
- ChloéJe suis contente pour lui, Nathan.I am happy for him, Nathan.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
