Imam jedan mali problem.

to have

Breakdown of Imam jedan mali problem.

• mali: small
• problem: problem
• jedan: one

Questions & Answers about Imam jedan mali problem.

Why is there no separate word for I in Imam jedan mali problem?

Croatian usually leaves out subject pronouns (like ja = I) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• imam ends in -am, which clearly marks 1st person singular (I).
• So imam on its own already means I have.

You can say Ja imam jedan mali problem, but ja is only added for emphasis or contrast (like I have a small problem, not someone else).

Why is there no word for a in this sentence?

Croatian has no articles (no a/an and no the). The idea of a problem vs the problem is usually understood from context, not from a separate word.

In Imam jedan mali problem, the a in English is simply not translated.
The basic version is:

• Imam mali problem. = I have a small problem.

If there are no articles, why do we see jedan here? Doesn’t that mean one?

Yes, jedan literally means one. In this sentence, it can play two roles at the same time:

1. Literal number: I have one small problem (not two or more).
2. : It often works a bit like English plus a softener, something like