Nie mam co zrobić z tym starym workiem, bo śmietnik na podwórku jest pełny.

It uses the Polish pattern mieć + co + infinitive.

• mam co robić = I have something to do
• nie mam co jeść = I have nothing to eat
• nie mam co zrobić z tym workiem = literally I don't have what to do with this bag

In natural English, that usually comes out as I have nothing I can do with this bag or I don't know what to do with this bag. It is a normal, idiomatic Polish structure.

Not really. It is related to the question word what, but in this structure it works more like something / anything / nothing to.

So co here does not mean the speaker is asking a question. It is part of a fixed pattern:

• Mam co czytać = I have something to read
• Nie mam co powiedzieć = I have nothing to say

Because zrobić is perfective. It focuses on a single completed action or a solution.

Here the speaker is not talking about general ongoing activity. They mean: What can I do about this bag? What final action can I take? That is why zrobić fits better.

• robić = to do, be doing
• zrobić = to do and complete

Because z meaning with takes the instrumental case in Polish.

So:

• ten → tym
• stary → starym
• worek → workiem

All three words must match in case, number, and gender.

They all agree with each other in the instrumental singular masculine form.

The base forms are:

• ten = this
• stary = old
• worek = sack/bag

After z meaning with, they become:

• tym
• starym
• workiem

This kind of agreement is very important in Polish noun phrases.

Because that would use a different meaning of z.

Polish z can mean:

• with → takes instrumental
• from / out of → takes genitive

Here the meaning is with this old bag, so it must be z tym starym workiem.

If you said z tego starego worka, that would mean from this old bag.

Because worek is not the direct object of mam here.

Compare:

• Mam worek = I have a bag
• Nie mam worka = I don’t have a bag

There, worek/worka is directly connected to mam.

But in Nie mam co zrobić z tym starym workiem, the phrase z tym starym workiem belongs with zrobić, not directly with mam. So the instrumental after z stays the same.

Worek usually means sack or large bag. It often suggests something bigger, rougher, or more practical than torba.

Depending on context, it could be:

• a trash bag
• a sack
• a large storage bag

It is not the usual word for a handbag or shopping bag.

Śmietnik can mean trash bin, garbage container, or dumpster, depending on the situation.

In a sentence like this, especially with na podwórku, it often suggests the outdoor garbage bin/container used by a house or apartment building.

Because this is about location, not movement.

• na podwórku = in/on the yard/courtyard → locative
• na podwórko = onto/out to the yard → accusative

Here the bin is already there, so Polish uses the location form: na podwórku.

It is the locative singular of podwórko.

After na when it means in/on/at a place, Polish normally uses the locative:

• na stole = on the table
• na ulicy = on the street
• na podwórku = in the yard / courtyard

Bo means because and is very common in everyday spoken Polish.

• bo = neutral, everyday, conversational
• ponieważ = also correct, but more formal or written

So bo sounds very natural here.

Yes, both are possible.

• pełny = very common, neutral, everyday
• pełen = also correct, sometimes a bit more literary or stylistically marked

So śmietnik jest pełny is the most ordinary, natural everyday version.

No. Polish word order is fairly flexible.

The given sentence sounds neutral:

Nie mam co zrobić z tym starym workiem, bo śmietnik na podwórku jest pełny.

But you could change the order for emphasis, for example:

Bo śmietnik na podwórku jest pełny, nie mam co zrobić z tym starym workiem.

That is still grammatical, but the emphasis shifts. Polish often changes word order to highlight different information.

Yes. That is very natural.

• Nie wiem, co zrobić z tym starym workiem = I don’t know what to do with this old bag
• Nie mam co zrobić z tym starym workiem = more like I have no good option / there’s nothing I can do with this old bag

The meanings are close, but the second one emphasizes lack of options, not just lack of knowledge.