〜くなる・〜になる

なる expresses a change of state: something that wasn't a certain way "becomes" that way. With い-adjectives, drop い and add くなる: 暗い → 暗くなる. With な-adjectives and nouns, add になる: 上手になる, 大学生になる.

なる is a group I verb, so it conjugates normally: なります, なりました, なりません. The sentence 寒くなりました means "it has gotten cold" — the change has already happened.

A common mistake: forgetting to change the adjective ending — saying 暗いなる is wrong.

Examples

• 空(そら)が暗(くら)くなりました。

  The sky has grown dark.

• 日本語(にほんご)が上手(じょうず)になりましたね。

  Your Japanese has gotten really good, hasn't it?

• 弟(おとうと)は来年(らいねん)大学生(だいがくせい)になります。

  My younger brother will become a university student next year.

Related patterns

• Tính từ đuôi い
• Tính từ đuôi な