Želim postati doktor.

I want to become a doctor.

Breakdown of Želim postati doktor.

• željeti: to want
• doktor: doctor
• postati: to become

Questions & Answers about Želim postati doktor.

Why is it Želim postati doktor and not something like Ja želim postati doktor?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns (ja, ti, on…) because the verb ending already shows the person.

• Želim = I want (1st person singular)
• So ja is normally omitted unless you want to emphasize “I (and not someone else) want to become a doctor.”

You can say Ja želim postati doktor, but it sounds more emphatic or contrastive than neutral.

Why is the verb želim and not some other form of the verb?

Želim is the 1st person singular present tense of the verb željeti (to want).

Present tense of željeti (standard form) is:

• ja želim – I want
• ti želiš – you (sg.) want
• on/ona/ono želi – he/she/it wants
• mi želimo – we want
• vi želite – you (pl./formal) want
• oni/one/ona žele – they want

So for “I want…”, želim is the correct form.

Why is the verb postati used here? Could I use biti instead?

Postati means “to become”, i.e. to change into something.

• Želim postati doktor. – I want to become a doctor (in the future).

Biti means “to be”, a state, not a change:

• Želim biti doktor. – I want to be a doctor (i.e. I want my state to be “doctor”).

In practice, both sentences are possible, and often feel very similar in meaning.

• postati focuses on the transition to that profession.
• biti focuses more on having that role (now or in future).

What form of the verb is postati here?

Postati is the infinitive form, like English “to become”.

In Croatian, when one verb follows certain other verbs (like htjeti “to want”, želeti/željeti “to want”, morati “must”, moći “can”), the second verb usually appears in the infinitive:

• Želim učiti. – I want to study.
• Moram raditi. – I have to work.
• Želim postati doktor. – I want to become a doctor.

Infinitives in Croatian usually end in -ti (učiti, raditi, doći, postati, etc.).

Why is it doktor and not something like doktora? Shouldn’t it be in the accusative?

After certain verbs that describe a state or change of state (biti – to be, postati – to become, ostati – to remain, etc.), Croatian uses a predicate in the nominative case, not in the accusative.

So:

• On je doktor. – He is a doctor.
• Želim postati doktor. – I want to become a doctor.
• Postao je učitelj. – He became a teacher.

Even though in English we might think of “a doctor” as an “object”, Croatian treats it as a complement in the nominative.

Why is there no word for “a” in doktor?

Croatian has no articles at all—no “a”, “an”, or “the”.

The bare noun doktor can mean:

• a doctor (indefinite)
• the doctor (definite), depending on context.

So Želim postati doktor. can be understood as “I want to become a doctor,” but Croatian doesn’t mark the “a/the” difference with a separate word.

Is there a difference between doktor and liječnik?

Yes, there is a nuance:

• doktor

  • Can mean someone with a doctorate (PhD) in any field.
  • In everyday speech, very commonly used for a medical doctor as well.

• liječnik

  • Specifically means a physician / medical doctor.
  • More precise in formal or official contexts (medical documents, laws, etc.).

So:

• In casual speech: Želim postati doktor. is perfectly normal for “I want to become a doctor (physician).”
• In careful or formal speech about medicine: Želim postati liječnik.

How would a woman say this sentence? Do I need a feminine form of doktor?

The usual feminine form of doktor is doktorica.

So a woman typically says:

• Želim postati doktorica. – I (female) want to become a (female) doctor.

You might hear some women use doktor generically, but doktorica is the standard feminine form used in everyday Croatian.

What’s the difference between Želim postati doktor and Hoću biti doktor?

Both can translate to something like “I want to be/become a doctor,” but they differ in tone and nuance:

• Želim postati doktor.

  • Uses željeti – “to wish, to want”.
  • Sounds neutral, polite, and standard.
  • Very natural for talking about plans, ambitions, dreams.

• Hoću biti doktor.

  • Uses htjeti/hoću – “to want, to be willing”.
  • Can sound more direct, sometimes childish or stubborn (context matters).
  • In some regions, forms of htjeti are used very commonly and neutrally in speech.

For a learner, Želim postati doktor. is the safest, most neutral option.

How do I make this sentence negative: “I don’t want to become a doctor”?

To negate želim, you put ne in front of it:

• Ne želim postati doktor. – I don’t want to become a doctor.

ne always comes directly before the verb it negates:

• Ne želim. – I don’t want (to).
• Ne želim učiti. – I don’t want to study.
• Ne želim postati doktor. – I don’t want to become a doctor.

How do I turn this into a question: “Do you want to become a doctor?”

There are a few common ways. For ti (you, singular informal):

1. Želiš li postati doktor?

   • Very standard and neutral.
   • Uses the -li question particle after the verb.

2. Hoćeš li postati doktor?

   • Similar meaning, with htjeti instead of željeti.
   • Also common, especially in casual speech.

In casual spoken language, people sometimes also just raise their intonation:

• Želiš postati doktor? (with questioning intonation) – less formal, more conversational.

What’s the difference between postati and postajati?

They are aspect pairs (perfective vs. imperfective):

• postati – perfective, “to become” (a completed change at some point)

  • Želim postati doktor. – I want to become a doctor (at some point).

• postajati – imperfective, “to be becoming, to be in the process of becoming” (an ongoing process)

  • Polako postajem doktor. – I am slowly becoming a doctor.
  • Počeo je postajati slavan. – He started becoming famous.

In your sentence, postati is correct because you talk about reaching that state (end goal), not about the ongoing process.