Definition

Verb: - To become, to turn into: Indicates a change in state, quality, or condition, resulting in a new or different state. It describes a transformation or development over time.

Usage

• General Usage: Used to express a transition from one state to another. It is often followed by an adjective or a state-describing phrase.
• Grammatical Note: The word is used to emphasize the or of a change. It is more formal than some alternatives like or (which often imply "to turn into" a specific thing or role).

Examples

• Verb:
  • Thời tiết đã trở nên lạnh hơn. (The weather has become colder.)
  • Sau khóa học, cô ấy trở nên tự tin hơn. (After the course, she became more confident.)
  • Mối quan hệ giữa họ trở nên căng thẳng. (The relationship between them turned tense.)

Advanced Usage

• Emphasizing a Gradual or Significant Change: is particularly suited for describing changes that are perceived as notable, often involving personal qualities, situations, or abstract concepts.
  • Vấn đề trở nên phức tạp hơn chúng tôi tưởng. (The problem became more complicated than we thought.)
• In Comparative Structures: Frequently used with comparative adjectives (e.g., - better, - worse, - more popular).
  • Công nghệ này đang trở nên phổ biến. (This technology is becoming popular.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trở thành (verb): To become, to turn into (often used for changes in identity, profession, or a definitive new state).
  • Anh ấy muốn trở thành một bác sĩ. (He wants to become a doctor.)
• Hóa ra (verb phrase): To turn out to be (often used for revealing an unexpected result or truth).
  • Câu chuyện hóa ra là có thật. (The story turned out to be true.)
• Trở lại (verb): To return to a previous state or place.
  • Anh ấy đã trở lại công việc sau kỳ nghỉ. (He returned to work after the holiday.)

Synonyms

• Trở thành: To become (focus on end state/identity).
• Hóa: To turn into, to become (can be more literary or used in fixed phrases).
• Biến thành: To transform into (can imply a more complete or physical change).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: As trở nên is a single verb unit in Vietnamese, it does not combine with particles to form phrasal verbs in the same way English verbs do. The related concepts are expressed through the variants and synonyms listed above.

Related Idioms

• Trở nên nổi tiếng: To become famous.
  • Ca sĩ đó đã trở nên nổi tiếng rất nhanh. (That singer became famous very quickly.)
• Trở nên trầm trọng: To become serious/severe (often for problems, illnesses).
  • Tình hình sức khỏe của bệnh nhân đã trở nên trầm trọng. (The patient's health condition became severe.)

verb

1. to turn, to become