Learn Hardcore Chinese: yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng dāng lǎoshī. - In the future I want to be a teacher.

In the future (from now on):
- 以后我想当老师。 – In the future I want to be a teacher.
After a specific event:
- 吃饭以后去看电影。 – After eating, (we’ll) go to watch a movie.
- Pattern: [Event] + 以后 + [Next action]

Which meaning you get depends on context. With no event before it, 以后 usually means “in the future.”

Why is 以后 at the beginning of the sentence instead of after 我?

Putting time words like 以后, 明天, 现在 at the beginning of the sentence is very common in Chinese:

(Time) + (Subject) + (Verb) + (Object)
以后　我　想　当　老师。

This emphasizes when something happens first. It’s similar to English sentences like “In the future, I want to be a teacher.”

You can also put 以后 after 我, but the front position is very natural and common.

Can I say 我以后想当老师 or 我想以后当老师? Are they different?

All of these are grammatical:

以后我想当老师。
我以后想当老师。
我想以后当老师。

Differences are mainly in focus/feel, not in basic meaning:

以后我想当老师。
- Emphasizes the time frame: “In the future, I want to be a teacher.”
我以后想当老师。
- Slightly more neutral: “I, in the future, want to be a teacher.”
- Very common word order too.
我想以后当老师。
- Emphasis can feel more on the desire/plan itself: “I would like to become a teacher in the future.”
- Still natural, but (1) and (2) are probably more common in simple statements.

For everyday use, (1) or (2) are safest and most typical.

Why is there no word like “will” to show future tense?

Chinese normally doesn’t use a separate verb form for future tense. Time words (like 以后, 明天, 下个月) and context show the time.

我想当老师。 – I want to be a teacher.
以后我想当老师。 – In the future I want to be a teacher. (→ Future is clear from 以后)

You can use words like 会 (will) or 要 (going to), but they add extra meaning (prediction, stronger intention), not just “future tense” mechanically:

以后我会当老师。 – In the future I will (probably / I expect I will) be a teacher.
以后我要当老师。 – In the future I’m going to be a teacher. (stronger determination)

What is the nuance of 想 here? Is it “want” or “think”?

想 (xiǎng) is flexible. Common meanings include:

to want / would like to
- 我想喝咖啡。 – I want to drink coffee.
to think / to consider
- 我想，他不会来。 – I think he won’t come.

In 以后我想当老师。, 想 means “want / would like to” and also implies thinking about it / having that intention, softer than a very firm plan:

More like “I’d like to be a teacher in the future.”
Less strong than “I am definitely going to be a teacher.”

So it’s between desire and considered intention.

Why use 当 instead of 是 for “to be a teacher”?

In this sentence, 当 (dāng) means “to serve as / to work as / to act as (a role)”.

当老师 = to be a teacher (as a job/role)

If you used 是:

我是老师。 – I am a teacher. (a fact / identity right now)
我想是老师。 – This is not natural Chinese to mean “I want to be a teacher.”

So:

想当老师 = want to become / serve as a teacher.
是老师 = is a teacher (stating who/what someone is).

When talking about doing a job / taking a role, 当 is very common:

当医生 – be a doctor (as a job)
当导游 – be a tour guide
当经理 – be a manager

What’s the difference between 当老师, 做老师, and 成为老师?

当老师
- Most natural here.
- Emphasizes taking on the role / working as a teacher.
- 以后我想当老师。 – In the future I want to work as a teacher.
做老师
- Also possible, but less common than 当老师 in many regions/contexts.
- Can sound a bit more colloquial depending on context, or used contrastively:
  - 我不想做老师。 – I don’t want to be a teacher.
成为老师
- Means “to become a teacher”, often highlighting the process / achievement.
- 以后我想成为老师。 – I want to become a teacher in the future.
- Slightly more formal / more focused on the “becoming”.

For a simple future dream, 当老师 is the most typical choice.

Why is there no 是 (the verb “to be”) before 老师?

Because 当 is already the main verb here.

Structure: 我　想　当　老师
- 我 – subject
- 想 – want to
- 当 – serve as / work as
- 老师 – teacher (object of 当)

If you added 是, you’d get abnormal grammar (想当是老师 is wrong).

Use 是 when the main verb is “to be”:

他是老师。 – He is a teacher.
我不是老师。 – I am not a teacher.

Here the main action is 想当 (“want to serve as”), not 是.

Why is there no word like “a” or “the” before 老师?

Chinese does not have articles like a / an / the.

老师 simply means “teacher”. Whether English uses “a teacher” or “the teacher” depends on context in English, not on extra words in Chinese.

我是老师。 – I am a teacher.
那位老师 – that teacher (here, 那位 functions like “that (one)”).

Can I say 以后我想当一个老师 to mean “I want to be a teacher”?

You can say 当一个老师, but it often sounds:

a bit marked / emotional, or
focused on “one particular teacher” role,
or making a contrast (e.g., not something else).

In neutral, simple sentences about jobs, Chinese usually omits 一(个):

✅ 以后我想当老师。 – Natural and standard.

当一个老师 might appear in sentences like:

我想当一个好老师。 – I want to be a good teacher.
(Here 一个好老师 is a full noun phrase, emphasizing “a good teacher”.)

For a basic “I want to be a teacher”, use 当老师 without 一个.

Could 我 be left out? Can I say 以后想当老师?

Yes, 我 can be omitted if the subject is obvious from context, especially in conversation:

(我): 你以后想做什么工作？ – What job do you want to do in the future?
(我): 以后想当老师。 – (I) want to be a teacher in the future.

In writing or in a stand‑alone sentence, including 我 is clearer:

以后我想当老师。

So: omission is possible, but depends on context.

How is 当 pronounced here and does it have other meanings?

In 当老师, 当 is pronounced dāng (first tone).

With dāng, common meanings include:

to serve as / to work as:
- 当老师 – work as a teacher
- 当经理 – work as a manager
when / at (a time) in patterns like 当…的时候 (in some uses):
- 当我还是学生的时候… – When I was still a student…

It also has another pronunciation dàng (fourth tone) with different meanings (e.g. “to regard as, to pawn”), but in this sentence it is dāng, “to serve as”.