Breakdown of Ten młody polityk szybko stał się karierowiczem.
ten
this (m)
młody
young
szybko
quickly
polityk
politician
stać się
to become (a state or condition)
karierowicz
careerist
Questions & Answers about Ten młody polityk szybko stał się karierowiczem.
Why does the word karierowiczem have the -em ending here?
It is in the Instrumental case. The verb stać się (to become) requires the noun that describes the new state or outcome to be in the Instrumental case.
Why use the perfective verb stał się instead of the imperfective stawał się?
We use the perfective stał się to show a completed transition; he successfully reached the final state of being a careerist. If we used stawał się, it would focus on the ongoing process of him becoming one.
If we just wanted to say he became famous instead of a careerist, would the Polish adjective for famous also be in the Instrumental case?
No, standalone adjectives following stać się are usually in the Nominative case, so you would just say stał się sławny. You only use the Instrumental when there is a noun involved, like karierowiczem or a noun-adjective pair like sławnym politykiem.
Does the word karierowicz carry a negative tone in Polish?
Yes, it is strongly pejorative. A karierowicz is a social climber or opportunist who cares only about advancing their own career, often at the expense of their morals or other people.
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