Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.

Putting saya before the noun (like saya teman) is not correct Indonesian for possession. Saya teman would be understood more as I am a friend, not my friend.

Does teman saya mean one friend or my friends? How do I show singular vs plural?

By itself, teman saya can be singular or plural, depending on context:

teman saya = my friend / my friends

To make it clearly singular:

seorang teman saya = one of my friends / a friend of mine
satu teman saya = one friend of mine (more literal)

To make it clearly plural:

teman-teman saya = my friends
beberapa teman saya = several of my friends

So:

Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
Could mean:
- My friend aspires to become a lecturer.
- My friends aspire to become lecturers. (less common reading, but possible from context)

What exactly does bercita-cita mean, and how is it different from ingin or mau?

Bercita-cita is a verb that means to have an ambition / to aspire to something. It often implies a long-term, serious life goal, not just a casual wish.

Comparison:

bercita-cita
- nuance: deep, long-term ambition
- example: Dia bercita-cita jadi dokter.
  He/she aspires to become a doctor.
ingin
- means: want, would like
- can be short- or long-term, serious or casual
- Dia ingin jadi dokter. = He/she wants to be a doctor.
  (could be serious, could be just a wish)
mau
- more informal, often immediate or practical wanting
- Dia mau jadi dokter. = He/she wants to be a doctor. (spoken, casual)

So Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen. suggests this is your friend’s serious ambition, not just a random wish.

Why is cita-cita written with a hyphen and repeated? What is the difference between cita and cita-cita?

In Indonesian, repeating a word (reduplication) often changes its meaning.

cita by itself is rare in everyday use and feels a bit literary or old-fashioned.
cita-cita is the normal word meaning ambition, aspiration, life goal, dream.

The hyphen marks reduplication:

cita-cita (from cita)
orang-orang (from orang = person → people)
buku-buku (from buku = book → books)

So bercita-cita literally is ber- (have/with) + cita-cita (ambitions) → to have ambitions / to aspire.

In modern writing, cita-cita is almost always written with the hyphen.

Is bercita-cita a verb or a noun phrase? How is it used grammatically?

Bercita-cita is a verb. It is an intransitive verb (it does not take a direct object in the usual sense).

Basic pattern:

[Subject] + bercita-cita + (untuk) [verb phrase / noun phrase]

Examples:

Dia bercita-cita jadi dokter.
He/she aspires to become a doctor.
Dia bercita-cita untuk menjadi dokter.
Same meaning, more formal and explicit.

So in Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen, bercita-cita is the main verb:

Teman saya = subject
bercita-cita = verb (aspires)
jadi dosen = complement (to become a lecturer)

Why is it jadi dosen and not menjadi dosen? Is there a difference between jadi and menjadi?

Both jadi and menjadi can mean to become, but there are differences in usage and register:

jadi (verb)
- common in spoken and casual Indonesian
- shorter, more relaxed
- Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
menjadi (verb, more formal)
- sounds more formal or written
- often used with untuk before it in more formal style
- Teman saya bercita-cita untuk menjadi dosen.

Meaning is basically the same here. Your original sentence is natural, everyday Indonesian.

You could say:

Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen. (natural, neutral, spoken)
Teman saya bercita-cita menjadi dosen. (a bit more formal)
Teman saya bercita-cita untuk menjadi dosen. (clearly formal/written style)

Do we need seorang before dosen, like seorang dosen? What is the difference?

You can say seorang dosen, but you don’t have to.

dosen = lecturer / university teacher (no article)
seorang dosen = a lecturer / one lecturer

In this sentence:

Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
My friend aspires to become a lecturer.

This is already natural and complete.

If you say:

Teman saya bercita-cita jadi seorang dosen.

It still means a lecturer, but adds a small nuance of “(a) person who is a lecturer”; it can sound slightly more descriptive or slightly more formal. In everyday speech, people usually just say jadi dosen, without seorang.

What is the difference between dosen and guru? When should I use dosen?

Both can be translated as teacher, but they refer to different contexts:

guru
- teacher at kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school
- also used for non-academic teachers (e.g. guru musik = music teacher)
dosen
- lecturer / instructor at university or college
- specifically higher education

So:

Teman saya bercita-cita jadi guru.
My friend aspires to become a (school) teacher.
Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
My friend aspires to become a university lecturer.

There is no word for to or to become like in English. How does Indonesian show this “to become” meaning?

Indonesian does not use a separate particle like English to in to become. The verb itself carries that meaning:

jadi / menjadi = become

So:

bercita-cita jadi dosen
literally: aspire become lecturer
→ aspire to become a lecturer

You do not need an extra word that corresponds to English to here. The structure:

[verb] + jadi + [noun / adjective]
gives the “to become X” meaning.

How is tense expressed here? Does Teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen mean aspired, aspiring, or will aspire?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Bercita-cita is the same for past, present, and future. The tense comes from context or from time words.

Your sentence can mean:

My friend aspires to become a lecturer. (present)
My friend has always aspired to become a lecturer. (present perfect, from context)
My friend once aspired to become a lecturer. (if the time is clear from context)

If you want to add time markers:

Dulu, teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
In the past, my friend aspired to become a lecturer.
Sekarang, teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
Now, my friend aspires to become a lecturer.
Nanti, teman saya bercita-cita jadi dosen.
In the future / later, my friend wants/aims to be a lecturer. (more about the plan or future life goal)

Can we leave out saya and just say Teman bercita-cita jadi dosen?

You can say Teman bercita-cita jadi dosen, but the meaning changes:

Teman saya = my friend
Teman alone = friend / friends (in general); could be understood as a friend or friends depending on context

Teman bercita-cita jadi dosen is incomplete or vague in most contexts. It sounds like:

A friend (or friends) aspire(s) to become a lecturer (but we don’t know whose friend, or which friend).

To clearly say my friend, you should keep saya (or use another possessive like temanku in more informal speech).

Is there a more formal or more descriptive way to say the same thing?

Yes, you can make it more formal or more detailed:

Teman saya bercita-cita menjadi dosen.
(swap jadi for menjadi)
Teman saya bercita-cita untuk menjadi dosen di universitas negeri.
My friend aspires to become a lecturer at a public university.
Saya punya teman yang bercita-cita menjadi dosen.
I have a friend who aspires to become a lecturer.

Your original sentence is natural, neutral, and suitable for everyday conversation or informal writing.

How do you pronounce cita-cita and bercita-cita?

Pronunciation tips:

Indonesian c is pronounced like English ch in church.
cita-cita: chi-ta chi-ta (roughly)
bercita-cita: bər-chi-ta chi-ta
- ber- = bər (like ber in Berlin, but shorter)

Stress is usually fairly even, but you can slightly stress -ci-:
ber-CI-ta-CI-ta.