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?