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become
/bɪˈkʌm/
devenir
She wants to become a doctor.
Elle veut devenir médecin.
neutral
commencer à être ou à avoir une nouvelle qualité, état ou apparence
He became famous overnight.
Il est devenu célèbre du jour au lendemain.
The weather became colder.
Le temps est devenu plus froid.
Used with adjectives, past participles, or noun phrases to indicate a change.
neutral
convenir à ou s'adapter à une situation ou un rôle
This color becomes you.
Cette couleur te va bien.
The dress became her perfectly.
La robe lui allait parfaitement.
Often used in the phrase 'become + [pronoun] + [adjective]' to describe suitability.
Collocations
Synonymes
Expressions liées
Conseil pro
Conjugation in French
The French verb 'devenir' is conjugated as follows in the present tense: je deviens, tu deviens, il/elle devient, nous devenons, vous devenez, ils/elles deviennent.
Règle d'or
Change vs. Become
Use 'become' for gradual or significant changes, while 'change' is more general and can refer to any alteration, big or small.
Origine du mot
From Old English 'becuman' (to come, arrive), from Proto-Germanic '*bikwemaną' (to come around, arrive). Related to Dutch 'bekomen' and German 'bekommen'.
Notes d'usage
In French, 'devenir' is the primary translation, but 'se faire' can sometimes be used in informal contexts (e.g., 'Il s'est fait médecin' for 'He became a doctor'). The verb is often followed by an adjective or a past participle to indicate a change.
Décomposition du mot
be-
prefix indicating change or transition
prefix-come
from Old English 'cuman' (to come)
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