Vocabulary: Ambitions

Vocabulary: Ambitions

Introduction to Ambition Vocabulary

• In Russian, there are many ways to express ambitions and goals. The key word for ambition in Russian is амбиция (ambitsiya).

Common Expressions related to Ambitions

• Моя мечта - это… (Moya mechta - eto…) - My dream is…
• Я стремлюсь… (Ya stremlus’…) - I aspire…
• Моё желание… (Moyo zhelanie…) - My desire…
• Я мечтаю стать… (Ya mechtayu stat’…) - I dream of becoming…
• Моя цель в жизни… (Moya tsel’ v zhizni…) - My goal in life…

Vocabulary Associated with Career Ambitions

• Врач (vrach) - doctor
• Адвокат (advokat) - lawyer
• Художник (khudozhnik) - artist
• Инженер (inzhener) - engineer
• Учитель (uchitel’) - teacher
• Научный работник (nauchnyi rabotnik) - scientist

Phrase Construction

• When constructing sentences, the verb form will often depend on the person and tense. For “I want to be a…” you would use Я хочу быть… (Ya khochu byt’).
• The verb стремиться (stremitsya) is often used when talking about ambition. It is paired with the preposition к (k) and the dative case.

Expressing Future Aspirations

• The future tense is used to express future dreams and aims. Remember to use future tense of the verb хотеть (want) - хочу, хочешь, хочет, хотим, хотите, хотят.
• The phrase В будущем я хочу (V budushchem ya khochu…) is a great starting point for expressing future goals; it translates to “In the future, I want…”.

Ambitions in Negative Form

• To express a lack of ambition or a desire to not become something, use the negative form - не + verb. For example, Я не хочу становиться врачом (Ya ne khochu stanovit’sya vrachom) translates to “I don’t want to become a doctor”.