Breakdown of Quel collega è inaffidabile: mi ha giurato che si arrangiava da solo.
essere
to be
quello
that
il collega
the colleague
da
from, at (someone's place) / by (oneself), on one's own
Questions & Answers about Quel collega è inaffidabile: mi ha giurato che si arrangiava da solo.
Why is the imperfect si arrangiava translated as "he would make do" instead of "he was making do"?
This is a very common feature of spoken, informal Italian. The imperfect tense is often used in reported speech to express the "future in the past" (an action that was in the future at the time it was talked about). The colleague swore something in the past (mi ha giurato), and his action of managing by himself was going to happen after that. In formal Italian, you would use the past conditional: mi ha giurato che si sarebbe arrangiato.
What is the exact meaning of the verb arrangiarsi used here?
Arrangiarsi is a reflexive verb that translates to "to manage," "to get by," or "to make do." In this context, si arrangiava means the colleague was claiming he could handle the situation using his own skills or resources, without needing anyone else's help.
Why does the sentence say da solo instead of just solo?
Why is it Quel collega and not Quello collega?