The Verb "Zostać" (To Become)
When talking about career choices or life changes, use the verb zostać (to become).
| to become | zostać |
You will often use the infinitive after verbs like chcieć (to want). For future plans, conjugate it in the future tense (e.g., zostanę — I will become; on zostanie — he will become).
Zostać + Instrumental Case
Zostać requires the following noun and adjective to be in the Instrumental case.
For most masculine professions ending in a consonant, add -em to the noun. Adjectives take the masculine ending -ym or -im.
| My son wants to study to become an architect. | Mój syn chce studiować, żeby zostać architektem. |
| He wants to become a good architect. | On chce zostać dobrym architektem. |
| My dream is to become a photographer. | Moim marzeniem jest zostać fotografem. |
| My grandfather will soon become a pensioner. | Mój dziadek niedługo zostanie emerytem. |
Masculine Professions Ending in "-a"
Some masculine professions end in -a, such as programista (programmer) or specjalista (specialist).
These nouns take the feminine Instrumental ending -ą (e.g., programistą). However, because they are grammatically masculine, any modifying adjectives still take the masculine Instrumental ending (-ym or -im).
| My brother will change his profession and become a programmer. | Mój brat zmieni zawód i zostanie programistą. |
| I will become a great programmer and I will earn a lot. | Zostanę świetnym programistą i będę dużo zarabiać. |
| My colleague will soon become a specialist in this office. | Mój kolega niedługo zostanie specjalistą w tym biurze. |