Learn Polish: Mam mały kłopot, ale radzę sobie sam. - I have a small problem, but I manage by myself.

Mam mały kłopot, ale radzę sobie sam.

I have a small problem, but I manage by myself.

Breakdown of Mam mały kłopot, ale radzę sobie sam.

alone / himself (emphatic) / pure / nothing but

Questions & Answers about Mam mały kłopot, ale radzę sobie sam.

Why is the word sam used at the end, and does it change depending on who is speaking?

Yes, it does! The word sam (alone / by oneself) behaves like an adjective and must match the gender of the subject. Here, the speaker is a man, so he uses the masculine form sam. If a woman were speaking, she would say sama.

I know radzić means to advise. Why does it translate to manage here?

The verb radzić alone means to advise, but when you pair it with the reflexive pronoun sobie (to oneself), it creates the common phrase radzić sobie. This phrase means to manage, to cope, or to deal with something.

Why didn't the endings on mały kłopot change, since it is the object of the sentence?

It actually is in the accusative case here, because it is the direct object of mam (I have). However, because kłopot is a masculine inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its basic dictionary (nominative) form.

Can I use the word problem instead of kłopot in this sentence?

Yes, you easily could! kłopot usually translates to trouble, worry, or a hassle, while problem is used much like it is in English. They are very often interchangeable, especially for small, everyday issues like the one in this sentence.