Breakdown of Mój syn chce zostać profesjonalnym narciarzem.
chcieć
to want
mój
my
syn
son
profesjonalny
professional
zostać
to become
narciarz
the skier
Questions & Answers about Mój syn chce zostać profesjonalnym narciarzem.
Why is profesjonalnym narciarzem in the instrumental case here?
The verb zostać (to become) requires the instrumental case when it is followed by a noun that expresses a profession, role, or identity. This works exactly the same way as it does with the verb być (to be).
What is the nominative (dictionary) form of narciarzem?
The base form is narciarz (skier). Because it is a masculine personal noun ending in a hardened consonant (-rz), it takes the -em ending in the instrumental case instead of -iem or -m.
Is zostać perfective or imperfective, and why is it used in this context?
Zostać is a perfective verb, meaning it focuses on the completion of the action. Its imperfective pair is zostawać. We use the perfective form here because the son's goal is the final achievement of becoming a skier, rather than the ongoing process.
Could I use być instead of zostać in this sentence?
Yes, you could say Mój syn chce być... which means 'My son wants to be...' rather than 'wants to become...' Both are grammatically correct and both require the instrumental case for the profession, they just slightly shift the focus of his ambition.
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