Breakdown of On chce zostać dobrym architektem.
on
he / it (m)
dobry
good
chcieć
to want
zostać
to become
architekt
architect
Questions & Answers about On chce zostać dobrym architektem.
Why is it dobrym architektem instead of dobry architekt?
The verb zostać (to become) requires the following noun and its adjective to be in the Instrumental case when you are talking about someone's future profession, role, or identity. Because of this rule, the basic Nominative phrase dobry architekt changes to the Instrumental dobrym architektem.
I thought zostać meant 'to stay' or 'to remain'. Does it also mean 'to become'?
Yes! The verb zostać has two very common meanings. In earlier lessons you likely saw it used as 'to stay' (like staying at home). However, when you pair it with a noun in the Instrumental case to talk about a profession or a phase of life, it means 'to become'.
How are the Instrumental endings formed for masculine words in this sentence?
For most masculine adjectives, the Instrumental ending is -ym (or -im if the word ends in k or g), which turns dobry into dobrym. For masculine nouns, the standard Instrumental ending is -em, changing architekt into architektem.
Why is zostać in the infinitive form here instead of being conjugated for 'he'?
Because it comes directly after another conjugated verb, chce (wants). Just like in English ('wants to become'), the second verb in this kind of pairing stays in its basic dictionary form, which is the infinitive.
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