So I know that using `dictionary form verb ようになりました` means I started to do
this thing that I didn't do before. But what would happen if I put it in
present tense with `ようになります` would that be wrong? Would that mean something
else? [On this website](http://www.learn-japanese-adventure.com/you-ni-
naru.html) that describes how the structure works it describes it as `ようになる`
which is plain present tense but then all of the example sentences use
`ようになりました`. Why is it in past tense? Isn't it describing the current state of
things?
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grammar usage verbs
Why does ようになる become ようになりました (past tense)?
> Isn't [〜ようになる] describing the current state of things?

In fact, it isn't.

なる is acting as a "state-change" verb here (瞬間動詞 "instantaneous verb" in the
Japanese literature, often referred to as "punctual verb" in English
literature). When you use it in past tense, that means the state has changed
(and it is implied that you are currently in it, though that implication can
be canceled).

> できるようになった。  
>  Lit. "I became able to do it."

If you want to directly say you're in the state, you can say なっている. However,
it puts a weird emphasis on the state of "having become able to do it" -- why
not just say "I am able to do it" (できる)? In most cases the reason you're using
〜ようになる in the first place is to highlight the change, not the current state.
So I think it's probably more common to use 〜た as opposed to 〜ている in the case
of 〜ようになる. (Side note: なる does seem to be able to double as a 継続動詞 "durative
verb" here, meaning なっている can also refer to you being in the process of
changing state.)

If you use the plain form, the most likely semantics is future time. A
habitual reading is also possible but that seems pretty marginal with 〜ようになる
without significant context.
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The short answer is: "Because 「～～ようになる」 refers to a **_future_** event."

That is exctly how the "present" tense works in many cases in Japanese.
「[大学]{だいがく}に[行]{い}きます。」 means "I **_will be attending_** college." In other
words, that is something a high school kid would say. If you were already a
college student, you would most invariably say 「大学に行っています。」.

「がんばれば、[日本語]{にほんご}が[話]{はな}せるように **なる** (or **なります** )。」

This sentence is talking about the future. ⇒ "You will be able to speak
Japanese if you study hard."

If you became able to speak it at some point in the past (and you can still
speak it presently), you would say:

「（２[年]{ねん}くらい[前]{まえ}に）日本語が話せるように **なった** (or **なりました** )。」

The state of "being able to speak Japanese" continues on up to the present
moment, but the present moment is not when it occured. It was "two years ago",
"ten years ago", etc.

This is why we use the "past" tense in Japanese.
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