Learn Hardcore Japanese: kanozyo ha daigakusei desu ga, syourai nihon no kaisya de kaisyain ni naritai to omotte imasu. - She is a university student, and she wants to become an office worker at a company in Japan in the future.

彼女は: “As for her / She (topic of the sentence) …”
Using は tells the listener, “Now I’m going to talk about her.”
彼女が大学生です is also grammatical, but feels more like “It is she who is a university student,” focusing on who the student is, rather than using her as the general topic.

In this sentence we’re giving information about her (what she is now and what she wants to do), so は is the natural choice.

What does ですが do here, and why is が attached to です?

ですが here means “but / although” and connects two contrasting facts:

彼女は大学生です = She is a university student.
将来〜なりたいと思っています = (But) in the future, she wants to become an office worker…

が is a conjunction meaning “but.” When you’re speaking politely, you often attach it to です or ます:

〜ですが、〜
〜ますが、〜

So ですが is just です (polite copula) + が (“but”), functioning as “She is a university student, but …”

What is the role of 将来 in this sentence?

将来 means “in the future / someday.” It works like an adverb of time:

将来日本の会社で〜 = “In the future, (she wants to) at a Japanese company…”

It’s not marked by a particle here; Japanese often use bare time expressions adverbially like this:

明日行きます。 – I’ll go tomorrow.
来年日本へ行きたいです。 – I want to go to Japan next year.

Same pattern: 将来 just sets the time frame for her future wish.

Why is it 日本の会社 and not something like 日本会社?

の is the standard way to connect two nouns in Japanese, often indicating possession or an attributive relationship:

日本の会社 = “company of Japan” / “Japanese company”
日本の音楽 = Japanese music
東京の大学 = university in Tokyo

You cannot simply stick two nouns together like in English “Japan company”. You almost always need の (or some other compound form already established in the language).

So 日本の会社 literally is “company of Japan,” which in natural English becomes “a Japanese company” or “a company in Japan,” depending on context.

What does the particle で do in 日本の会社で?

で marks the location where an action takes place.

日本の会社で（働く・会社員になる）
→ “At/in a Japanese company (to work / to become an office worker)”

So:

レストランで食べます。 – I eat at a restaurant.
学校で勉強します。 – I study at school.

Here it’s the place of her future work/employment: “at a Japanese company.”

Why is it 会社員に before なりたい? Why に and not something like を?

With なる (“to become”), the resulting state or role is marked with に:

先生になる – become a teacher
有名人になる – become famous / become a celebrity
医者になりたい – want to become a doctor

So:

会社員になりたい = “(she) wants to become a company employee / office worker.”

Using を here would be ungrammatical. With なる, think:
[target state] + に + なる is the basic pattern.

Why do we say なりたいと思っています instead of just なりたいです?

Both are possible, but they have different nuances.

会社員になりたいです。
→ “I want to become an office worker.” (simple statement of desire)
会社員になりたいと思っています。
→ “I’m thinking that I want to become an office worker.”
or more naturally: “She is thinking of becoming an office worker / She wants to become an office worker (and this is her ongoing, considered wish).”

Adding と思っています:

Emphasizes that it is her thought/plan (not an external fact).
Gives a sense of an ongoing, settled intention or desire, not just a fleeting wish.
Sounds more natural when talking about someone else’s inner state over time.

In narratives about third persons, 〜たいと思っています is often preferred because it feels less like the speaker is claiming direct access to the other person’s feelings, and more like reporting what that person is saying/thinking.

Why is it 思って + います (progressive) and not just 思います?

思っています (〜ている form) often expresses:

an ongoing state of mind or a continuing intention.

Compare:

そう思います。 – I think so (now / in general statement, often momentary).
そう思っています。 – I (have been) thinking so; I hold that opinion.

Here:

なりたいと思っています suggests this is her current, ongoing desire or plan, not just a momentary “I just now think I want to…”.

When describing another person’s goals or life plans, 〜と思っています is very common and natural.

What exactly does 会社員 mean? Is it just “office worker”?

会社員 literally means “company employee”:

会社 = company
員 = member / staff

Nuance:

Usually refers to a salaried employee at a private company, often doing white-collar work, but it’s broader than just “office desk worker.”
Often translated as “office worker,” “company employee,” or “businessperson,” depending on context.

Related words:

サラリーマン – male salaried worker (casual, somewhat old-fashioned, gendered).
OL（オーエル） – “office lady” (female office worker; can feel dated/sexist in some contexts).

会社員 is more neutral and formal than those loanwords.

Could the sentence use 働きたい instead of 会社員になりたい? What would change?

Yes, you could say:

将来日本の会社で働きたいと思っています。
= “She is thinking that she wants to work at a Japanese company in the future.”

Difference:

会社員になりたい: focuses on the status/position — becoming a company employee.
日本の会社で働きたい: focuses on the action — working at a Japanese company (regardless of exact job title or employment status).

Both could be appropriate; choose depending on whether you want to highlight her role (employee) or her activity (working there).

Can 彼女は be omitted, or is it necessary?

It can often be omitted, depending on context.

Japanese frequently drops pronouns when it’s clear who you’re talking about:

If the sentence is in a context where “she” is already understood, you might simply say:
大学生ですが、将来日本の会社で会社員になりたいと思っています。

Including 彼女は:

Clearly introduces or reconfirms her as the topic.
Is helpful if you’re starting a new topic or might otherwise confuse who you’re talking about.

So it’s not grammatically required, but it is useful for clarity depending on the situation.

How would this sentence look in more casual (non-polite) Japanese?

A natural casual version might be:

彼女は大学生だけど、将来日本の会社で会社員になりたいと思ってる。

Changes:

ですが → だけど (casual “but”)
思っています → 思ってる (spoken contraction of 思っている)
Dropping です for plain forms.

Even more casual, if context is clear, you might drop 彼女は:

大学生だけど、将来日本の会社で会社員になりたいと思ってる。

The core grammar (は, で, に, なる, 〜たい, と思う) stays the same; only politeness and style change.