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I am learning Japanese via Glossika. I have now come across a construction
which I do not really understand and cannot find an explanation online.

The sentences in question are always of the form

> て-form of a verb + になります。

E.g.

> 日本語 を 勉強し 始めて に なります。

(slightly altered to not use the concrete sentence from Glossika)

Here are orignal examples (as well as a similar one I found online)

>   1. あなた は 先生 に なって どのぐらい に なります か?
>
>   2. 英語 を 勉強し 始めて 半年 に なります
>
>   3. 日本 に きて どのくらい に なりますか?
>
>

Can someone explain the usage of になる in this case. I know that this means 'to
become' but so far I have only seen it used either with nouns or adjectives.
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2017-01-22T21:10:38.050
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2017-01-23T04:28:32.627
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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question
て-form
Specific use of になる together with て-form
In the expression:

> 「Verb in て-form + (length of time) + に + なる/なります」,

「～～になる」 does **_not_** mean "to become ~~".

Instead, it means " ** _(length of time) has passed_** ".

When using this expression in asking questions regarding how much time someone
has been doing something, you just replace the (length of time) by 「どれくらい」 or
「どのくらい」 and attach a 「か」 at the very end of the question.

This should explain the structures and meanings of all of the example
sentences you have listed above.
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2017-01-22T22:28:39.227
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2017-01-22T22:28:39.227
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answer
There are two key concepts to understanding this sentence: the て form, and なる.

**Function of -て**

Firstly, the -て form of the verb is used to string events together, usually in
sequential order:

> 朝ご飯を食べて、シャワーを浴びた。  
>  I ate breakfast, and then took a shower.

When the second phrase expresses a passage of time, it describes how long it
has (or had) been since the first phrase happened:

> 学校が始まって一か月がたった。  
>  It's been a month since school started.

Thus, we can understand the first part of your example as:

> 英語を勉強し始めて  
>  (I) started learning English... (and then something else happened).

To a native English speaker, this kind of construction for telling time looks
strange (yet logical), but it is very common in Japanese.

* * *

**なる**

As for なる, it still is used with a noun here. なる is _only_ used with
adjectives and nouns. In fact, to use it with a verb, you have to turn the
verb into a noun with よう or こと so that you _can_ attach に. For example:

> ピアノをひけるようになった。  
>  I became able to play the piano well

So in the second part of your (full) example, なる is used with the noun 半年, to
indicate the passage of time:

> 半年になります  
>  It becomes a half year/half a year passes

* * *

**The original sentence**

So, putting these concepts together, we can decipher your sentence:

> 英語を勉強し始めて半年になります  
>  I started studying English, and then it became half a year. (lit)  
>  I've been studying English for half a year.
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2017-01-22T22:35:53.513
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